The Last of The Senju
by whatisthisAmateurhour
Summary: 30 years have past since the events of chapter 700. The world no longer holds the promise of peace. Naruto and Sasuke have disappeared and the Hidden villages have fallen. The ninja world has returned to the state it was in during the warring clans period. Enter our hero Iax, on a bloodsoaked quest for vengance...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Right guys here's my story.**

 _ **I dont own Naruto**_

 _ **"**_ Speech"

' _Thought'_

Chapter 1: Introductions 

A crescent moon hung in a clear night sky, a stark contrast against the velvety black of space. A vast swathe of stars flickered and burned, their pale light combined with that of the moon illuminating the forests below. The light bleached the normal colours of the forest turning it monochrome, no greens or earthy browns remained just greys, whites and shadows.

One shadow was moving though.

It crept between the huge trees, its pace purposeful, steadily treking through the forest. It moved with a surprising stealth that did not seem possible for something of its size. Moving from oak to ash, from low lying hedges and shadowy roots the shadow made its way. It made slight sniffing sounds pausing at certain points to run a huge hand over tracks.

Suddenly breaking from the trees into a clearing bathed in colourless moonlight the shadow was revealed as a young man. He was in his early twenties and a giant. He stood easily at 6 and half feet, the man was reminiscent of a bear with a thick mess of brown hair on his head.

His clothes were humble; homespun tunic of yellowing cream, simple black trousers and heavy leather boots. A moss green cloak had been thrown hastily over the top of all this, the entire outfit would have made anyone else unremarkable but three things made this man stand out.

His sheer size, he would have stood head and shoulders over the average man as well as being twice as broad too. Secondly; the sword across his back, it was a great sword off epic proportions. It was six feet in length, broad as two oak leaves with a wicked edge. Other than its size it was simplistic, a tool made beautiful by its efficiency not its decoration. It hung in a battered old scabbard, which was criss-crossed with thousands of silver scratch marks that shone out against the dull grey.

The final thing that marked him as a man of significance was the look of steely determination that sat on his heavy features. A strong jaw set grimly and dark green eyes devoid of any emotion. His name was Iax.

Swinging the sheathed sword from his back to rest it against a nearby tree, he tilted his head back, looked up into the inky night sky and inhaled the cool air deeply through his nose. He released the breath in a heavy sigh that reavealed a hint of frustration; before he leaned against a tree and slowly sank down it into a sitting position, closing his eyes slowly. Iax's face was flinty, apparently whatever he'd been looking for was proving to be elusive. His eyelids opened up slowly, he couldn't rest yet. The emotionless gaze stared right ahead and he sat in silence, a silence that pervaded the clearing.

' _He was definitely heading east. I know it.'_ Hairs rose on his bare arms as a breeze shifted through the trees, it would be autumn soon and the summer's heat was already fading, but that was the only reaction Iax showed to the falling temperature. He sat still as a stone. The serious green eyes were distant, whilst empty of emotion they had a haunted look to them. With a grunt he pushed himelf back to his feet before slinging the strap of his sheathed sword effortlessly over his shoulder.

The giant swordsman delved into his chakra reserves sending out a pulse of energy. It quickly spread though the surrounding area making him aware of all life forms within a 100m radius, they appeared on the backs of his eyelids as flickers of heat, it was a very rudimentary sensory jutsu. To short range to track but was pretty useful when he wanteed to make camp. Grunting at the apparent safety of the surrounding area he looked up into the branches of the tree above him, they sprang out from the trunk at irregular angles and he noticed a few near the top that knitted together to form a decent sized platform.

Shifting his feet slightly in the loamy soil of the forest Iax squatted in preparation before leaping up in the branches, his movements had slowed now as the fatigue of travel set in. He'd been following the trail for the last week this was the first time he'd been forced to stop. He hadn't eaten and he hadn't slept but he'd plowed on regardless, there had been clues, hints that he was gaining ground so he would not let his body's weaknesses stop him. A lesser man would have collapsed; this thought brought an arrogant smirk to Iax's face. He rolled his neck and continued to leap up the branches of the great tree _'It'll do'_ He smoothly landed on the the thick boough he'd spotted from the ground below.

He crouched down on the suitable limb and began fishing out a spool of ninja wire from a concealed pocket in his cloak before weaving a complex web of wire around his resting place to act as an early warning system. You really couldn't be too careful, not these days. Iax stood and checked the tension of his security system with his finger, it made a satisfying twang and with that he sat down pulling his cloak tight around his broad shoulders. It would be an uncomfortable night but he was used to hardships, he'd been on the hunt for years now.

' _Shinji…'_

* * *

Iax eyes snapped open before he was even fully awake he instantly took stock of his surroundings. Whilst his ninja wire alarm system was still in place he could feel people nearby. _'Four? No Five…'_ Climbing further up the tree he spotted them nearly instantly.

A group of five ninja were walking past his clearing, they too were heading east. It appeared that they were looking for a place to sleep as well, judging by their heavy limbs and dragging feet. Iax carefully shifted to another branch making sure he had a clear escape route should he need it. The group of wandering ninja settled in the clearing below then noisily started setting up camp. Iax stilled his breathing and watched them silently. His bulk concealed within the boughs of the huge tree.

* * *

Koga stood in the middle of the clearing; he had lead his hastily assembelled team eastward at a break neck pace, they'd only stopped because he was getting sick and tired of their near constant whinging. He didn't need to be anywhere quick, he just enjoyed having someone to boss around. The feeling of control and importance was exhilirating. Though as the sun had set, the moon slowly revealing itself in the night sky he had noticed the teams pace had dropped, a resting place became a priority. They found a clearing and dumped their gear, they were too tired to bother with watches immediately setting about making a fire.

Koga was about eighteen or nineteen years old. His hair had been shaved away until only a non descripit stubble remained, he had an annoying habit of nervously chewing the inside of his cheek when he thought no one was looking. He stood at an average height and was quite swarthy, a deep red scar that ran along his right cheekbone, it was definitely his most stand out feature. He liked it, thought it made him look dramatic, it was probably his best kept secret that he'd given it to himself.

He watched the young team of genin set up the camp, he'd promised them excitement and glory. In return they had agreed to follow him.

Koga had always thirsted for adventure, the cool forest air was incredible to him, it promised a world of opportunity he'd never even considered. The village had become stifling but now... he was free. The village elders had always been adamant that he (as the strongest ninja produced in his generation) stay and protect the village. That Koga had potential but needed to exercise patience... They had constantly bored him with long speeches of respect and how that now Koga had reached manhood; it was his responsibility to care for the village that had raised him. He owed his allegiance to the village.

Koga smirked.

Koga had promptly solved that problem by burning the village to the ground. He owed no one his loyalty, he would not have his potential wasted in a backwater village. He would not rot in obscurity.

* _Flashback*_

 _The collection of small wooden huts that had formed the village blazed merrily. Koga stood in the centre of it all; the inferno that had spread from the village hall was now destroying the ramshackle homes nearby. He chuckled to himself, taking perverse pleasure in the destruction of the place that had protected him through his childhood._

 _Koga sniffed the smoked that roiled from the burning huts, it churned upward into the sky staining the clear evening. He started to walk down the main street, heading towards the world. He had no ties now, no responsibilties. It was finally time to live for himself. A gleeful cackle bubble out of his mouth, he felt like skipping..._

 _A groaning made him turn to face the raging flames that had engulfed a home behind him. A wizened man staggered from the blaze with a young child gathered in his arms. He made it to the relative safety of the streets before dropping to his knees and coughing in an alarming fashion._

 _Koga recognised him instantly, his mentor and the chief elder of the village. The man who had dared to oppress the might and greatness of Koga! The young arrogant ninja smirked at this twist of fortune. "Maybe I have one more responsibilty"_

 _The gravel crunched beneath his feet as he walked over to the man who had raised him. The elder was bowed on his knees, heat exhaustion had nearly overwhelmed him but the child was safe now. He heard the footsteps approaching and instantaneously knew his fate._

" _This is the end old man." Koga's high pitched voice whined over the roar of the fire. The elder raised his head and stared into the eyes of his protégée._

" _Koga… What have you done?"_

 _*Flashback ends*_

Koga had left the village immediately after dealing with the old man, a lonely looking child in rags had watched him leave with tears in its eyes.

The camp was set up quickly, the team set about cooking dinner in a frenzy like manner. Whilst they hurried to sate their hunger they maintained a safe distance from their leader. It was best to stay out of Koga's way, he was the worst kind of ninja. Quick tempered, irrational and with something to prove.

* * *

Iax carefully gauged the ninja team from his perch, they certainly seemed sure of themselves. They reminded him of a new genin team, all unfounded confidences and brash naivety. A campfire… They were asking for trouble, rogue ninja prayed for opportunities like that. _'Amateurs...'_ Iax weighed his options, the trail had been lost weeks ago now. He'd just been relentlessly marching east in hope of finding it, reassuring himself that he'd find it again.

' _They could have information…'_ Iax sighed; carefully he leapt away from the clearing, dropped to the leaf littered floor approaching the clearing from the shadows of the tree line. His stealth was incredible, despite the dry leafs on the earth he moved forward silently, not a single rustle betrayed his presence. He didn't want to startle the ninjas in the clearing and leaping directly into the camp would start a fight, he'd needed them alive.

Having circled the clearing once he picked an area to make his entrance where the campfire was between him and the ninja. It gave him enough space to make it clear he wasn't a threat but should they attack he would have more than enough time to strolled into their camp like he would a bar. It was an exaggeratedly casual walk, with an arrogant smirk on his face. As their heads turned in unison, he placed his hands on his hips before letting the smirk grow into a menacing smile. There was nothing quite like informing inexperienced ninja of their insignificance.

"Say you wouldn't be able to help me out would you?" Judging by the stiffness of their postures and the way their hands had subtly disappeared from view Iax knew the team was on the verge of attacking. He lifted his hands from his hips showing the ninja that his palms open and not concealing any weapons. "Let me phrase that better. You will help me whether you like it or not" Despite his peaceful stance Iax's casual tone had disappeared along with the smirk. The grim set jaw had returned. His eyes burned with a hunger.

* * *

Koga was intimidated. The man had appeared without warning, stood nearly a foot taller than all of them. The sword on his back was easily two metres long and looked well used. The man had stepped into their camp so confidently then proceeded to silence them with a single sentence He'd done it all with a smile on his face as well. But, Koga was a real ninja now. He'd sacked his own village, he had built a team of followers, he couldn't afford to look weak. A moments hesitation could lose him all everything he'd just earned! These team mates could turn on him in an instant. After all they were rogue now, honour had been left burning in the ruins of their village.

The stranger had lowered on of his hands, placing the other on the pommel of his sword, then took a measured step towards them. Koga had never know fear like this, it was just his fucking luck to be a few miles out his childhood village before he bumped into a monster. The giant swordsman abruptly stopped, turning his head to view the forest behind him.

Koga seized his chance. With a feral scream he leapt at the giant stranger a kunai in each hand and slashed viciously at the intruder's throat…

He dropped to the ground with a cluster of shruiken in his chest.

The teams jaw dropped collectively, they hadn't seen the man move… How on earth were they going to survive?

* * *

Iax stood sword drawn, his eyes scanned the tree line.

He hadn't thrown those shruiken…

He suddenly ducked, rolling to the left as a ninja burst free from the ground slashing kunai through his previous position.

Spinning quickly and using the momentum to power a backhand slash, Iax smashed the offending knife from the ninjas hand before letting the impetus carry him into a savage roundhouse that broke his opponents jaw. The ninja slumped to the ground unconscious. Behind him Iax heard a shriek that broke suddenly into a wet gurgling.

Iax turned and saw that Koga's team were already dead, a new team stood over the corpses, wiping the blood from their blades.

' _Rogue ninja…fucking campfire'_ Iax settled into an Ox Ward. He evaluated his new enemies, there were four of them, all were tall and lean. Their clothes were dirtied from battle; mud covered, scorch marked and blood stained. Each stood with a lithe elegance that informed Iax they were experienced killers. One in the middle even had a headband hanging from his belt, it bore the crest of Konoha ' _He must have survived The Downfall'_ It was disconcerting.

' _They_ _look pretty battle-hardened. Made short work of those guys...'_

His analysis was cut short as three of them charged forward, two running opposing support lines on the left and right while one with a sword launched a full frontal assault. The last lingered behind watching the coordinated attack from safety. This worried Iax more than they well drilled assualt, _'What is he up to?'_

Iax glared at the oncoming attack through his guard, thinking quickly he thrust his sword point first into the soil. Racing through a combination of ten seal before finishing on snake. "Doton: Embossing Stalagmite Jutsu!" A thick pillar of rock burst from the ground smashing into right hand support ninja, throwing him back. It didn't kill him but it gave Iax space to deal with the other two. Snatching up his sword he focussed on the ninja leading the charge, adrenaline coursed through his veins. The fight didn't slow down, it was like his mind sped up, he could process the entire situation almost instantly. A smile appeared momentarily.

 _'This is the best feeling in the world.'_

Iax reached out quickly catching the attacking ninja's downward strike with a single hand, it cut deep but he simply laughed in surprised ninja's face as he twisted the sword free from his opponents grasp. Ducking as the left-hand support ninja dived at him with an extended kunai; Iax strafed behind the newly disarmed ninja and caved his skull in with the flat of his great sword. The man dropped lifelessy into a messy pile of uncoordinated limbs.

Seizing the corpse by its collar Iax heaved it up from the ground with a single hand letting it block a volley of shruiken. Dropping it quickly he used the blind spot it momentarily created. Dashing forward in a blur of motion. The giant blade pierced the right hand supports chest. _'Two down.'_ Iax ripped his sword free and turned to block the left hand support… He wasn't there.

Iax was fleetingly caught off guard, casting his head around he quickly found the support ninja. He was standing next to the last member of his team, the one who had hung back. With a flourish Iax sank back into the Ox ward staring down the remaining enemies. They hadn't expected this, he could see it in their shocked eyes. Their surprise brought a bloodthirsty grin to his face, but it didn't bring any life to his face which had become a cold bloodthirsty mask.

The ninja who had held back watching the fight, the ex-Konoha shinobi, seemed to be the leader. His hair was black, tied back in a ponytail. His eyes were quick and clever; Iax could see them formulating a plan. Iax continued to watch him; these characteristics rang a few bells.

Rapidly the Konoha ninja snapped his hands together in the rat seal, Iax's eyes widened.

The giant swordsman leapt from the ground and into the surrounding trees, moving so fast he blurred out of sight. He only narrowly avoided the shadow that had extended from the ex Konoha shinobi's feet. _'A Nara! I knew he was trouble.'_

* * *

The Nara adjusted his seal slightly and his shadow contorted, shifting until was a series of thrashing tentacles that formed a ring around him and his remaining teammate. They had both lost sight of the giant swordsman when he'd dashed away, it was incredible how fast he could move and how fluidly. But judging from his strength they guessed he hadn't fled. The Nara's brain worked furiously.

' _Whilst I have my Shadow Guard jutsu activated I doubt he will attack head on… He'll look to remove my ally so he can close me down when he spots an opening.'_ The prognosis was good, judging by what the Nara had seen whilst the swordsman was fighting his ex teammates the man was a monster in taijutsu and kenjutsu but he'd shown no aptitude for long range techniques. The jutsu the swordsman had used was mid range and easy to dodge if you knew it was coming. In fact the level of his skill was so high in the hand to hand combat it insinuated that he'd over developed them and left the other ninja skills on the back burner…

' _Wouldn't do to get complacent though…'_ Considering that thought the Nara nodded to his teammate. His subordinate understood then started forming a series of hand seals before finishing on tiger.

"Katon: Phoenix Flame Jutsu" The ninja spat five medium sized fire balls into the section of woods in front of them. Turning he started forming the seals again. Another section of the woods soon sprang up in flame. Then another and another, soon the clearing was surrounded by a ring of burning trees. The Nara smirked ' _Two rings of defence and the light from the fire will only amplify my shadows powers. He'd be smart to flee now.'_

As if he'd read the Nara's mind and seemed desperate to disprove him, the giant swordsman dropped from the sky. The Nara smirked.

* * *

Iax leapt over the circle of fire and dropped towards the ring of shadows. Wind whipped past his face and he aimed the point of his sword directly at the Nara's head, he was fed up with this fight. It had ruined the first sleep he'd had in days.

The ring of spectral tentacles twitched and swiftly shot towards him. Each had a razor sharp spike on the end that punched into his body. Iax's looked shocked; he hadn't expected them to be so fast…

"Shadow Stitch Jutsu" The Nara announced conceitedly. Iax hung in the air, his lower jaw dropped open and a desperate breath rattled out.

' _Phase 1 executed. Phase 2 beginning.'_

Iax burst free from the earth at the two rogue ninja's feet. He swung his sword in an upward arc that sliced into the fire style ninja's stomach, the blade continued to rip up before it ground to a halt at the ninjas collar bone. The fire style ninja's eyes bulged as he opened up like an unzipped bag, his organs splattered noisily onto the forest floor.

Tugging his sword free Iax placed it on the Nara's shoulder before he could react. They both watched as the earth clone caught in the Shadow Stitch jutsu crumbled into dust.

"So…" Iax spoke softly into the Nara's ear "I thought you guys were supposed to be smart?" He smirked at the frown on the Nara's face then pressed the edge of his great sword into the man's neck.

"What do you want?" There was no hint of fear in the Nara's voice. Iax was impressed with his composure, considering the mess he'd just made of the man's team. ' _Impressed, but it doesn't really change anything…'_ Iax kicked the Nara's leg forcing him to his knees.

"What I want is information, information you almost definitely do not have…" Iax mused "why east? Everyone seems to be heading that way…" He said in a distracted manner.

The Nara laughed and then suddenly coughed as the blade pushed harder against his neck. "You haven't heard?" he drawled lazily "There's an army forming in the east."

"So, armies are formed all the time, if you haven't realised, this world is pretty fucked up" Iax retorted.

"No, not just any army. A ninja army. the rumour i heard is they are trying to form a Hidden Village…"

Iax cocked his head and looked at the Nara thoughtfully.

"Yeah like I said, not the information I want."

The Nara's eyes widened as he realised he'd outlived his usefulness. His head sailed into the nearby shrubbery and his truncated body slumped heavily to the ground.

Iax flicked the blood from his sword and sauntered thoughtfully through the carnage. ' _A hidden village… Maybe that's where he's headed…'_ He stopped by the crumpled body of the ninja he'd roundhoused. The man was just starting to regain consciousness, he was mumbling through his shattered jaw. The great sword hovered briefly above his prone body before plunging through his neck.

' _Yeah sounds like a plan.'_

* * *

A crescent moon hung in a clear night sky, a stark contrast against the velvety black of space. A vast swathe of stars flickered and burned, their pale light combined with that of the moon illuminated the forests below. The light bleached the normal colours of the forest turning it monochrome, no greens or earthy browns remained just greys, whites and shadows.

One shadow was moving though.

' _Revenge…'_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

"Speech"

' _Thoughts'_

Chapter 2: The Demon Tailor

 _Iax stood in the centre of the village and silently took in the surrounding horror; from the outside it had looked undisturbed. The silence probably had been a dead giveaway, Iax considered bluntly. The stillness of the village had seemed to swallow the noise of the surrounding forest. The shrieking bird calls and wind through the trees seemed to be enveloped and swallowed by it. It was not a peaceful quiet; it was hollow, poisonous and pregnant with the promise of danger. It infected the very air of the village_

 **1 Hour Earlier.**

Iax stepped from the cover of the tree line, walking casually towards the village, he normally avoided settlements, as he'd been raised in the woods further north, and places like this made him nervous. There was something about it though…

Iax had headed eastward since killing the Nara, this ninja army seemed promising. He had spotted the walled village over the tree line, the structure had piqued his curiosity. It was surprisingly well developed considering the state of the ninja world, especially as he was in the lands that had once belonged to Kirikagure. The Downfall had left the five major continents in a state of economic crisis, when the Hidden Villages had fallen crime and open warfare had destroyed almost all the surrounding communities. The Land of Waves being hit the hardest.

Settlements like these were now normally forgone for a nomadic lifestyle; people sacrificed walls and the traditional guards because they just made targets for rogue ninja. It was either that or ramshackle huts that weren't worth stealing from.

He strolled up to the thick white wall which circled the settlement within, the paint was faded, cracking. The wall itself scattered with cavities, stretching out a hand running his finger along the rough surface, Iax listened carefully. All was still, a sinister hush hung over the place. He stepped away from the wall, the long grass swished beneath his boots. It was almost deafening in comparison.

A recurring Clan symbol was painted sporadically all over the wall: it was a blunt black against the discoloured white, Iax didn't recognise it though ' _A new clan? Could just be a deterrent to keep away bandits…'_ This was all just speculation though, Iax started following the curve of the wall until he found a large wooden door. Once again he noticed the echoing silence and tried to ignore it. Iax's eyes, normally devoid of emotion, betrayed his stoic face. They were anxious, ablaze with a feeling Iax had only experienced a handful of times before.

The silence held a warning, a dark secret that only it was privy to. Iax didn't want to enter. He'd heard silences like this before though, the ones that sedated surrounding sounds.

They'd been the clues left behind by the man he hunted. They'd been the tracks that had lead him this far.

The anxiety peaked.

' _Shinji…'_

Turning away from the village he noticed the wind had stopped rustling the leaves of the trees, they were starting to fade from green to yellow now. The sun was retreating behind an oncoming bank of stormy grey clouds, that had crawled across the western sky. A tell-tale haze beneath them told Iax rain was on its way, he pulled his moss green cloak tighter around his bulky shoulders and shifted the great sword hanging on his back.

Breathing deeply through his nose before releasing the breath in a heavy sigh he steeled himself. Sinking briefly into a blank, thoughtless place in the depths of his mind, it was the place he fought from. The calm meditative trance that let him strike instinctually and there he found the clarity to face the silence again.

Stepping towards the door he smelt the varnished timbers and iron. Iax rested one hand on the pommel of his sword before he heaved the door open with his other. The hinges of the gate whined, little did he know it was a coffin door creaking open.

* * *

Stepping through the gap quickly and letting the door fall shut behind him Iax turned and viewed the village. There was no one to be seen, not even a guard at the entrance. It was eerie and Iax slid his hand from the pommel of his sword onto the soft leather that wrapped around the hilt. He left it in the scabbard still however, he might need to move fast and having the sword drawn would encumber him.

Taking a closer look at his surroundings he noted that some sort of festival was occurring, banners hung limply between the houses (multi storey, reminiscent of Edo architecture) and brightly coloured posters were plastered over every wall. The village was an opulent oasis; even the cobbles of the street were painted with varying dyes forming a swirling mosaic. Iax walked through the deserted streets silently taking it all in, the decadence of the village creating a strange contrast with its emptiness.

Stopping by a particularly large house; with a lavish balcony, its walls were painted in accordance with the colours of the festival. The sliding door was wide open and the room inside abandoned. Iax peered inside, there was no sign of struggle in there. The furniture was orderly and a small water feature trickled away cheerily in the centre of the room.

The sun had now fell entirely behind the ominous clouds, the grey light filtering through leached at the pigments of the decorations, dulling them. There was no hint of a breeze in the place, the walls must have closed the village in. That combined with the oncoming storm made the air humid and sticky. Iax looked towards the sky, annoyingly the rain had stopped. It would have been welcome in the claustrophic heat.

Iax on pure instinct loosened his sword from its sheath slightly. Not enough to release the blade but just so it drew smoothly if he needed it. Then started to proceed down the main street again but with more caution, he stayed directly in the middle and kept a wary eye on the alleyways as he passed. In an environment like this, all tight spaces and blind spots, his great sword was next to useless. Thus he kept to where he had the space to swing it and remain vigilant.

The village was still deadly quiet and uninhabited even as the swordsman neared the centre; it was truly unnerving Iax now, it all reminded him too much of the last time he'd seen _him_. There were no vendors selling their wares and no children scampering around. It was all wrong; Iax could see an unattended cart selling toffee apples.

There was faint but familiar smell now. It triggered memories of flashing steel and screams. Not festivals.

* * *

As he progressed further into the settlement he was forced to a stop. He had suspected it from the start, but to have his suspicions confirmed, well he hadn't prepared for it. He couldn't have prepared for this. Fighting the urge to retch, he started walking forward again. His face looked drawn and pale but the jaw was set as grimly as ever and his eyes resolute.

He had noticed the blood first, it was originally camouflaged against the brightly coloured posters but soon the walls were heavily stained by it and crimson pools formed in the gutters feeding red rivulets that stained the mosaic cobbles. The smell of copper was thick, Iax could hear the gore dripping in the alleyway to his right. It was a literal bloodbath.

Soon the signs of battle became pronounced. Crumbling walls and shattered paving were now reminiscent of tombstones; roofs with broken beams like exposed ribcages, fragmented glass and small fires that littered the street sparkled evilly. One solitary hand print stood out on a patch of white wall, the mark had previously been red but had now dried to a crusty maroon, it smeared down the wall but didn't lead to a body.

' _Where are the bodies?'_ He suddenly realised what made the scene even more sinister. Apart from the lifeblood spilled on the streets there was no sign of the inhabitants of this ghost town.

Iax picked up the pace driven on by morbid fascination now. He rounded a corner and caught his breath momentarily.

It was the village centre, a circular space of about a hundred metres. It appeared to have been the epicentre of the festival. Banners and bunting stretched from rooftop to rooftop, forming a complex web and casting irregular shadows onto the cobbles below. Something else hung amongst the bunting…

Iax had only noticed one at first. But it was like spotting a solitary ant at a picnic, you soon spot another and another before realising you are sitting on an anthill.

Bodies hung amongst the festivities, limp with disjointed limbs. All were suspended on ninja wire that ran straight through their torsos, it was like they'd been sown together by some maniacal seamstress. Blood dripped down and sullied the other decorations. It was surreal.

Iax drew his sword smoothly with one hand, inwardly commending himself for his caution, whilst his trained eye scanned the plaza. It was a defensive nightmare as twenty or so crooked alleyways led away from the plaza, back into the village. The grey light reflected off the puddles and took on a faint ruby glow that sparkled in the windows. The whole effect made the place nightmarish, it was a place where monsters existed and hope died.

However he noticed a slight shift in the shadows in the left hand corner of his vision. Just at the edge of a passage 20 feet away, subtly reaching into his cloak with his spare hand Iax collected a trio of shruiken from a concealed pocket. He stepped forward and turning slightly away from the stealthy individual so he could ready the throwing stars imperceptibly… before quickly turning and hurling the shruiken at it.

A skeletal hand reached out the shadows and caught all three deftly then dropped them to the floor. It was effortless.

' _Ninja…'_ Iax narrowed his eyes slid into ox stance.

* * *

The skeletal hand lowered to the ground and the body attached to it slowly emerged from the shadows. A tall emaciated man crouched in the claret light; his head seemed too big for his body and was bowed toward the ground. Suddenly it snapped up and Iax stared into a white anbu mask, it was covered in cracks and seemed to be splintering a little but Kiri's insignia stood out proudly. The man exuded danger and Iax dared not take his eye off him for a second.

The mask had attempted to hold in the man's grey frizzy hair but it had sprung out the back and hung well past the man's shoulders. He giggled in a high pitch tone and took a step forward; his movements seemed disjointed and irregular like a spider that had lost a leg. At the man's waist a thin rapier and his Kiri body armour hung loosely off his stick like frame.

Iax took this all in, trying to learn what he could from the man's movement and appearance. He lifted his sword and pointed it at the stranger, despite its colossal size it was rock steady.

"You make this mess?" The words bounced off the bloody walls and hung in the air.

The Kiri ninja perked up, like he'd forgotten Iax was there and crept forward on all fours. "Me?" The ninja raised a gnarled hand to his chest feigning innocence "AHAHAHAHA" but was unable to hold the act and burst into screeching laughter.

Iax's expression shifted from caution to a cold mask that barely concealed a deep-seated malice. "You've been busy." He managed to spit out through gritted teeth. What had happened to this world, where did these murderers keep coming from? It all struck a bit close to home. His free hand gestured to the village centre. "I'll make sure you pay for this… Senseless…" Iax stopped speaking as his rage took control. Blood crept back into his cheeks.

The masked man seemed affronted; he stood to his full height, he was all sinew and knobbly joints, raising an open palm he sighed. "These people… 'Ninja'… failed to understand their allegiance belonged to Kiri. Insubordination is punishable by death." The open palm closed into a fist and the sigh became a shriek "That makes perfect fucking sense you idiot!"

Iax frowned "What? Have you been living under a rock the last thirty years?" His question seemed to throw the masked ninja for a second.

The murderer regained his composure. "This is Kiri's land. All who rebel shall perish. Including you Bastard" He leapt toward the younger swordsman who mirrored his movements almost identically.

The two clashed, Iax was surprised by the resistance the smaller man offered. Their swords ground against each as they fought to gain the upper hand. Iax looked at the murderer's blade, it was long and thin with no edge. It should have snapped under the blow of Iax's great sword. Then Iax noticed the trail of ninja wire that hung from the pommel of the blade. The whole sword was shaped like a sewing needle. ' _I know this sword.'_

Iax leapt back, creating enough space to process this realisation. "You're one of the seven rogue swordsmen." He stated blandly. Despite his calm exterior Iax's brain was working at a thousand miles a minute. _'Wielder of Nuibaru, what do I know about him? Kushimaru the Demon Tailor, unaccounted for since the fall of Kirikagure. Where's he been all these years? How does he not know about Kiri…? Focus! There's no edge on that sword so he's primarily going to attack with thrusts. I can also assume he's adept with the hiding in the mist jutsu.'_

Kushimaru lowered his sword for a second. "Rogue? What the fuck are you on about?! " The plain white mask looked especially haunting in the fading ruby light. Iax remained silent and channelled his fury, not caring to explain Kiri's downfall to a man who'd murdered countless innocents. He took his favourite stance again standing left foot forward and knees bent. His hilt of his sword rose to his ear in a two handed grip and the point levelled with his opponents chest. Kushimaru cocked his head slightly and swished Nuibaru left to right making the surrounding air whine.

Both kicked off a cloud a dust and charged again.

* * *

' _Move!'_ Iax dived to right, abandoning his sword, to avoid being skewered. He looked for the follow up attack but the mist made it next to impossible. Moving on gut instinct he ducked and felt the blade whistle past his hair. He span in a low roundhouse but connected with nothing.

' _Think!'_ Iax was in trouble. The initial clash had given him hope. His strength was superior and in a straight battle he would have overwhelmed the smaller man. Kushimaru seemed to have realised this as well. He'd subtly switched with a water clone and cast the hiding in the mist jutsu safely from the shadows. Iax had been on the back foot ever since.

A stamp kick caught the inside of his thigh and he dropped to his knees. He log rolled instantly to the right and heard Nuibaru stabbing fruitlessly into the cobbles. Iax jumped to his feet but his face collided with a well-placed knee. His cheekbone crunched and he fell back to the ground. Thinking quickly he pulled a kunai to blindly block his chest and felt Nuibaru graze off the steel. The defence wasn't absolute; the cold bite of a sword stung his left flank. _'Just a flesh wound'_ Iax swung blindly with the kunai and somehow got back to his feet.

Pushing his senses to the max he waited for the tiniest signal of attack whilst edging carefully to where his sword was embedded in the cobbles. Luckily Kushimaru did not seem to be a complete master of the silent killing technique, due to the speed of his movements there was a faint whisper of displaced air before each strike. However due to the speed of his movements it wasn't really much of a warning.

' _There it is!'_ His leg bumped up against the familiar grip of his sword; it was a solid and reassuring presence in this ethereal mist. Iax shut his eyes and stilled his breathing to better listen. Suddenly he was swinging his sword in a horizontal forward slash then jumping fast to left and thrusting chest height into the mist. He hit nothing but it felt good to be going on the offensive.

The two strikes were the first two moves of his kata. He started to perform the full sequence of movements, _'overhead parry into diagonal slash. Two steps back and defend in plough stance'_ miraculously his blade parried an unheard thrust. Reacting quickly Iax front kicked, connecting with ribs, and followed with a heavy butterfly kick, also connecting. There was a grunt and Kushimaru crashed to the ground.

' _Now's my chance'_ Iax span his sword and stuck it into the cobbles. Slamming his hands together he quickly formed the snake seal and whispered "Doton: Earth Clone Jutsu" before snatching up his sword and leaping away and letting his clone continue performing the kata blindly in the mist. Iax crept silently backwards until he found a curved wall _'I must be at the edge of the plaza now. If I can get outside the range of this mist I can work on getting rid of it.'_

* * *

Kushimaru listened to his opponent's heavy sword swings, he couldn't see it but it sounded like the giant swordsman had resorted to performing a kata to fend off attacks. He giggled sinisterly before clutching at his chest. He'd felt those two kicks _'This bastard's strong. He'll fucking pay for this!'_ Kushimaru _gently_ prodded his flank and hissed when he found three broken ribs. _'I'm going to string this bastard up good!'_

Sneaking up behind his enemy, tracking him by the impressive whooshing noise made by each swing of his great sword, Kushimaru got into position. _'What a flashy bastard, who needs a sword that big? It's impractical… Isn't it dear?'_ He tenderly ran his finger down the length of Nuibaru before readying himself to finish the fight.

Nuibaru was not made for direct confrontation; it was an assassin's blade. Each wielder of it had been trained in speed and precision attacks, taught to aim from the shadows and strike only once. Kushimaru was affronted that his dear Nuibaru had not only been denied its blood but been used in defence! Kushimaru had inwardly screamed as he'd been forced to parry and clash against that brutish blade before casting the Hiding in the Mist jutsu.

' _It's over now.'_ Kushimaru felt a faint shake in ground as his opponent lunged forward heavily leaving his back exposed. It was a split second opportunity but that was all he needed. Bursting forward, the mist parting before him, with Nuibaru outstretched Kushimaru felt undefeatable. The younger swordsman managed to glance over his shoulder just in time to see the Demon Tailor appear and Nuibaru push through his kidney.

Iax dashed down a narrow twisting alleyway blu, the houses in this part of the village were smaller and more dilapidated but relatively blood free. His trusty sword was still grasped in one hand and its point grated along the paving, sparks flying. The mist had thinned and now he was looking for a vantage point. Leaping from the cobbles and landing on the side of a building, the chakra in his feet helping him defy gravity, and dashed straight up to the tiled rooftops.

Once he could survey the entire effected area he squatted down on his haunches and rested his sword on his shoulder. Pinpricks of moisture started to gather on his brow and his breath had quickened.

' _Alright phase one complete. The clone's not going to last forever though, so this has to be fast.'_ Iax continued to stare at the mist, it was otherworldly, a huge hazy dome that completely filled the circular plaza. The mist oozed out into the surrounding alleyways and obscured the gory banners. _'It's huge! Must be chakra taxing… if I can just get rid of it I doubt he could pull it off again.'_ The problem was Iax only knew Earth style and a little bit of water, _'if I knew a wind jutsu this battle would already be fucking over'_ He wracked his brains for an answer.

Iax shrugged, laying his sword on the tiles of the roof he lifted a his hands. Something big was needed.

 _'Hare, Horse, Monkey, Hare, Tiger...'_

* * *

Kushimaru giggled piercingly, the young swordsman slowly dropped to his knees and let his great sword clatter to the ground. "Heheheh well fought Bastard. But no one denies Nuibaru her blood" Kushimaru kicked the swordsman's head hard, trying to free Nuibaru from the heavy corpse; it flew off and smashed to rubble on the cobbles. Suddenly the jutsu broke and 'Iax' crumbled into dust.

Kushimaru stared in silence for a second, and then shrieked loudly. It echoed through the plaza, bouncing off the unseen walls and ringing on the cobbles. _'Where is the bastard!?'_ Kushimaru collected himself, it took longer than he would have liked, and his bloodlust was raging out of control.

He eventually calmed and slinked off into the mist, sniffing every so often and cocking his masked head to listen. It was a fruitless search. A feral snarl emanated from the mask and tightened his grip on Nuibaru. _'Where are you Bastard?'_ He hunched down into an awkward looking squat and let his voice echo misleadingly through the mist "Hiding is useless, running will get you nowhere. No one has ever escaped the Demon Tailor"

A sudden explosion rocked the village and Kushimaru's mask cracked beneath falling rubble. He leapt back to his feet and sprinted in the direction it had come from. Suddenly another explosion from behind him shook the ground beneath his feet and hurled him back to the cobbles.

' _What the fuck is going on!?'_ Kushimaru cast his head around trying to figure out what the Bastard was up to, another two explosions shattered the silence. Another explosion rocked the village, the mist swirled in the resulting force like a blizzard. The bombardment continued for about three minutes before coming to a sudden stop, The silence returned to the village but it was different this time. It wasn't Kushimaru's deathly still silence; it was the tense, humid silence that occurs just before the storm breaks.

Kushimaru lowered his guard and howled in fury. There, standing brazenly in front of him was the young Swordsman; the monstrous sword held in one hand, leaning on his shoulder and his body left wide open for attack... ' _Arrogant bastard… he'll die now!'_ Kushimaru lifted Nuibaru but something was wrong… He could see the swordsman. And the swordsman was looking at him…

"The mist! Where's my mist jutsu?!" Kushimaru was looked left and right, his mask did not hide his panic and Iax took a measured step towards him.

"Oh never mind that Kushimaru, I'd be worrying how you intend to fight me without being able to hide" A wicked grin split Iax's face and he lifted his sword from his shoulder. He suddenly appeared behind Kushimaru in an almost untraceable shunshin.

Spinning Kushimaru barely blocked a hammering chop and reeled backwards. Iax followed feinting to the Demon Tailors shins before swinging the flat of his blade into Kushimaru's head. The mask made a cracking noise but held.

Kushimaru back pedalled desperately _'My knees feel weak. This man's a monster'_ He cast around looking for a patch of mist to conceal himself, but it was all knee height now.

"Eyes on the prize Kushi" Kushimaru just rolled out the way of the mammoth sword and performed a hand spring to put a safe distance between them.

' _How did he get rid of my Hiding in the Mist jutsu?'_ His cover had entirely disappeared now and Kushimaru noticed how the scenery had changed. Vast swathes of the villages building had been blasted apart and great fissures rent the cobbled streets. _'Earth style…'_ By destroying the enclosing walls Iax had made space for the mist to disperse, the village now in ruins around them Kushimaru started to fully comprehend his opponent's threat.

Kushimaru turned to face Iax again, the younger man was standing comfortably, casually letting Kushimaru take in the devastation. With a sigh he hefted his sword again and turned his eyes to the Demon Tailor. Kushimaru froze.

"Mercy" Kushimaru's high voices cracked and wavered.

"Hn, I'll grant you the same mercy you granted this village." The response was offered flatly. The judgement passed down in dense iron like tones.

Iax sprang forward, swinging his sword low across the ground. The point scraped along the ground and flung a shower of pebbles and rocks at the Demon Tailor, who cowered behind an out stretched arm, Iax cleaved straight through it. Kushimaru screamed but managed to twist his body out harm's way, his right arm had dropped to the floor. Its skeletal fingers were still twitching.

Iax made a show of flicking the blood from his sword, before looking up at the crippled ninja; he was the picture of casual malevolence. His aura felt black, ominous and over powering. Kushimaru snapped. He'd never lost a fight. He wouldn't ever lose a fight.

He'd also never been so afraid in his life.

The Demon Tailor attacked blindly; charging forward, his high pitched shriek piercing the damp evening air, his lone arm swinging Nuibaru mindlessly. He refused to believe he'd met his match, he refused to accept death. ' _I'll skewer this bastard!'_

Iax batted Nuibaru aside like it was an annoying fly and viciously stamp kicked Kushimaru's knee, there was a sickening pop and it collapsed. As Kushimaru collapsed howling a gigantic fist caught him in the windpipe. He landed in a heap and looked up at Iax, a looming shadow against a stormy sky, and whimpered as the monstrous sword rose into the air. Desperately he twisted on the floor, Nuibaru pierced Iax's thigh deeply but the behemoth only laughed.

The sound of it boomed across the crumbling plaza. It was joyless and hollow. "Kushimaru, you only delay the inevitable. Your death has come." The sword had reached its zenith…

"I'll have the last laugh Bastard, your death is coming too" Kushimaru coughed through a crushed trachea, blood was pooling around him.

Iax's eyes narrowed in confusion. Sweat rolled down his fore head and he exhaled heavily. _'What the fuck is he on about?'_

Iax shrugged. "You first. Oh… before I forget. Kirikagure no Sato fell 30 years ago. Last time I saw it, it looked a lot like this village…" He stared into the slits of Kushimaru's mask.

The Demon Tailor managed to release a short scream of denial before the sword stabbed down. Kushimaru's single arm reached skyward and scrabbled frantically at the air. Iax twisted the blade with a quick jerk and the arm collapsed lifelessly.

* * *

Iax flicked the blood off his sword and surveyed the village. Most of the bodies were hidden in the rubble now but a few macabre corpses hung between the remaining buildings. Wiping the sweat from his brow Iax gulped the air heavily.

' _I survived…'_ He chuckled flatly and went to lift his sword onto his shoulder.

The weight of it unbalanced him and he staggered sideways before collapsing to the ground. He lay there, sweat pouring, frantically gasping. _'What's happening?'_ He was too weak to stand and his temperature was soaring. The graze on his flank was burning and the puncture wound in his thigh was going the same way.

' _Poison! I was careless'_ He could feel his muscles tightening up as the paralytic effects of the venom kicked in. His lungs were struggling to draw in air. _'check the body! might have an antidote!"_ Iax clawed at the broken cobbles and attempted to heave his great weight towards Kushimaru's carcass but collapsed. His eyelids flickered and he his breaths came out like violent spasms.

It was probably the poison affecting him but he could hear a high pitched giggle echoing around the ruined plaza just before he lost consciousness. _'I'll have the last laugh Bastard…'_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys, this has been in draft stage for a while now and I finally got it up onto the site. It's still rough so there might be a couple of tweaks here and there. Thought I'd get three chapters up at first and see how it's received, I've got a really good idea of where this story is going so review and let me know what you think. I welcome constructive criticism and if you have any suggestions I'm all ears.**

Chapter 3: The Bandaged Man

The village had seen better times, the buildings crowded together desperately. Each home was war torn, tiles missing and gaping holes in the walls. The place was deserted, the wind whistled through the settlement undisturbed. The night had dropped suddenly robbing the light and a heavy downpour cascaded over everything, filling the potholed streets with dirty puddles. There was however a single speck of light glowing by the western gate of the village, a couple of lanterns that hung outside a bar. The bar squatted amongst the rubble of the street and seemed to shiver in the heavy rain and wind, it was one of the few buildings with four solid walls but it still looked ruinous and leaned heavily as if minutes away from collapsing.

A group of five dejected looking ninja huddled around a table on a creaky veranda outside it; chain smoking and throwing back shots of sake in silence, the game of cards they were playing seemed long forgotten. They seemed afraid to acknowledge each other.

Each had a distant look in their eyes, their dirt and smoke stained faces were streaked with tear marks. Their clothes were ragged as if they'd been subjected to a violent mauling , light grey ninja gear covered in mud and darker blood stains. The most recent bandit Nin raid on their village had taken its toll. Their fingers never strayed too far from their weapons and the creaking buildings made them scan the surrounding area in a paranoid fashion.

* * *

There had been hushed talks about a new alliance of rogue ninja prior to the raid, supposedly growing in the east, enough to allegedly form a hidden village. Most had disregarded it as scaremongering, but it all seemed to horribly realistic now. Now they were looking at the smouldering ruin of their home.

' _Who could have marshalled all those bandits under one banner?'_ Thought the leader of the motley crew ' _And why attack this village? Why weren't we ready?'_ The questions were never asked out loud because there was no one who could answer them. What did it matter anyway if they could answer them? Hindsight is a useless tool when you cannot apply anything you learn from it.

The rogue ninja raid was a couple of days ago, under the cover of darkness, there had been no warning. The village in question was not a large one but it had around thirty competent ninja guarding it. They'd been nowhere near enough. The raid was fast, polished and obviously well planned. The first target was the villages barracks, it had gone up in a ball of flames with burning timber and glass showering down amongst the villagers, in one fell swoop the bandit Nin had killed all off duty ninja and then with bloody efficiency moved on to the sentries. It had been a bloodbath. Friends, family, lovers… all had gone in a half hour burst of meticulous violence.

 _Flashback_

 _Yoshimitsu flicked away the end of his cigarette casually. He was a tall man of about twenty five, a chuunin of the Kiharu clan and performing watch duty over the clans settlement. He pushed himself up from his relaxed leaning position, ran a hand through long brown hair and absently drew a kunai from his holster. Spinning it on a finger he rounded the tree he been resting against and eyed up his team._

" _Breaks over" The statement was met by a series of groans, which he silenced with an imposing stare "We're on the clock till 3 boys. Need I remind you that the safety of the village is in our hands?" Met with more groans but they were at least on their feet now._

 _Yoshimitsu allowed a small smile to cross his face before turning, he made the signal to move out and soon they were all soaring through the air. Leaping from branch to branch and scanning the vegetation below for any traces of a threat. The village had enjoyed two years of relative peace, it being out of the way of most trade routes. That had been a tactical choice of course, money brought envy and envy led to raids. The Kiharu clan was small and couldn't handle a full scale assault._

 _They stopped on the western side of their home. The trees were tall here and commanded a respectable view of the village. A small wooden fence surrounded a collection of about 15 stone buildings and a smattering of wooden halls; the fence was small so it only kept the animals out and the small children in but due to the secrecy of the settlement that was all they needed. The largest of the timber structures was the Barracks, home to the Kiharu ninja; it lay of the far side of the settlement. The moon shone down bright white light, illuminating the roofs in a silver glow. The surrounding woodlands also bathed in the light, their leaves silvery in the glow._

 _It was peaceful, Yoshimitsu breathed in a lungful of clean air. The village was going from strength to strength, the genin were charged with carrying the products of the civilians labour to a village many miles away to bring in money. This was then taken by chuunin to an entirely different village in the opposite direction to obtain supplies the village couldn't produce. They were off the grid, no ninja settlements could find them and gangs of rogue ninja hadn't even heard of them. It was perfect._

 _One of his team landed on the branch next to him "Sweep complete Yoshi, no reports, no nothing…" Yoshimitsu smiled. He placed a hand on his friends shoulder._

" _The village has never been stronger Chikao and tonight could not be any more beautiful" Chikao was his second in command, both were chuunin in the same class and led the team of genin using classic good cop bad cop routine._

 _Chikao raised an eyebrow "You gonna start writing poetry or something? Stop pansying about and give the order to continue the north perimeter. I'm missing my bed and the other guys are getting tired"_

 _Yoshimitsu grinned wickedly and shoved him from the branch "Team! North perimeter!" then looked down at his childhood friend below. "Oh and Chikao seeing as your in such a rush to get home… Rear-guard" He laughed at the curses that turned the air beneath him blue and jumped onwards._

'It is a perfect night' _He thought contentedly._

 _Irony reared its ugly head. The eastern side of the village exploded. They all froze as they watched a series of shadows leap over the wall of flames and start spreading havoc in their budding home. Yoshimitsu could only watch, his feet seemed stuck to the branch. Chikao landed next to him "Yoshi! Yoshi!" He shook him violently and looked a little relieved when the team leader turned to him "We can't do anything… They killed our men in that first explosion! We have to run!"_

 _Yoshimitsu turned back to his home. His eyes were wide and tear filled and reflections of the flames flickered in them. What had become of this world? What merited such wanton violence and misery? Allowing his friend to tug him away from the destruction, the team fled into the dark forest._

 _*Flashback ends*_

Yoshi's team sat the bar table. They had returned to find survivors but had only discovered they were the last alive; they had survived by being cowards. They had survived by sacrificing their friends and family. The guilt was insufferable.

Had it been worth it? Surviving only to find there was nothing left in this village, the population had been decimated. There was nothing worth guarding, just crumbling shacks and empty streets. The living civilians had fled for greener pastures, the ninja at the table too shell shocked to warn them of the dangers that lay beyond their walls.

Just the memories of how the village used to be, bustling with people and squawking children, all remembered in sunny sepia tones and idealistic scenarios.

* * *

The ninja pulled their coats tighter around their bodies as a harsh wind blew down the once bustling street, they would probably become bandits themselves. The times were desperate, no time to be weak or sentimental. The leader wondered absently if they'd end up with this alliance in the east. Ninjas weren't inspired by loyalty anymore; all people truly desired now days was surviving.

Chikao picked up the bottle of sake and topped up all their glasses wordlessly. They all picked up the shot glasses and raised them to their lips. He stiffened before he put the bottle down. "Yoshimitsu…"

The leader of the group threw the alcohol to the back of his throat, then placed his sake glass down and subtly pulled a kunai from his holster. Then following the line of his subordinate's sight down the road he spotted a solitary figure strolling through the shattered gate of the village, carefully avoiding the larger holes in the ground and making a bee line for them. The figure seemed perfectly at ease in the desolation and the wind carried a merry humming towards them.

The ninjas stood collectively and the rickety table wobbled spilling glasses to the floor and punctuating the sound of rainfall with the tinkle of broken glass. The lone man paused for a second, before continuing his confident stride towards them.

He was tall and slim, with an elegant posture that gave of the aura of aristocracy. The rain had blurred his features at first but as he came closer the ninja observed that his entire face was wrapped in bandages. No eye holes or anything, just solid band after band of stained white that wrapped down his neck before disappearing under his collar.

The effect was eerie, without any facial expressions to read the man became entirely unpredictable.

The bandaged man wore plain black shinobi gear, trousers taped around his ankles, and a long grey parka thrown over the top, the fur lining the hood was drenched and dripping. The clothes were travel worn but in otherwise fine condition. A large bulge was in the right hand pocket of the parka and the man's bandaged fingers never strayed too far from it.

The man stopped about ten feet from the bars veranda and cocked his head ever so slightly to the left. His presence commanded the attention of everyone there, and his body language suggested he was enjoying it. Though his facial features were hidden behind the mask of linen they could feel his gaze fall on each of them and then it stopped on the table.

"…sake" a rasping voice grated from below the bandages and sent a shiver down the ninja's spine. It conjured images of rattlesnakes or a blade being sharpened. It was hungry; there was a longing in it for more than the half empty bottle of booze on the table.

The leader swallowed hard and stepped out from the cover of the veranda, the heavy downpour instantly soaked him and lightning crackled through the darkening clouds. "Who are you and what do you want in this village?" He actually sounded braver than he felt. Everything about this man's appearance put him on edge but the stranger had to leave, it was his only priority. This bandaged freak was a portent of death. It was like seeing a shinigami.

The stranger suddenly flinched and turned his head quickly from left to right, almost like he was scanning the village for something. He'd gone from being perfectly in control to shock and even fear in a couple of seconds. It was only fleeting though; the icy calm demeanour returned and the bandages soaked and clung to his face, giving an outline of a nose. "I thought I made it quite clear what I want" the voice rasped again "this village doesn't have much else to offer".

Yoshimitsu scowled and lifted the kunai in his hand "just who are you?" The blade quivered once but steadied quickly. Exhaling slowly he levelled the knife with the bandages on the man's neck. He tensed the muscles in his legs. There was a creak behind him which told him support was close to hand.

The bandaged man shrugged, if he had noticed the preparations he showed no sign of it. "My reputation doesn't precede me here? I must say that is refreshing" the pressure in the air built "not as refreshing as a glass of sake though. So get outta my way" The final words had a bite to them, a venom.

The strain seemed to be reaching breaking point, it was too much for Yoshimitsu. Before him stood an unknown factor, he'd seen his village wiped out by a platoon of ninja and this lone man scared him more. He quickly lowered his trembling kunai before his fear became apparent.

The stranger slid past him, up the step and came to a stop at the rickety table. He picked up the bottle of sake and looked around at the ninja once, before lifting the bottle and tilting his head back. The movement whilst not aggressive was fast and graceful, it was over nearly as soon as it began and left Yoshimitsu staring at the empty space the stranger had once occupied.

The rest stared at him mutely as he poured the sake directly through the bandages and gulped down the remainder of the bottle. He didn't seem human. The bandages didn't appear to hinder his movement or senses. They were like a second skin.

A harsh sigh of satisfaction escaped from the bandaged man and he firmly placed the bottle back on the table with a clink. He started tracing the outline of the bottle with a long finger from his left hand. The ninja all noticed his right picking at the hem of his parka pocket.

"So it looks like you have a bandit problem in this village" The stranger observed as if it had only just occurred to him "that's an area I happen to specialised in" There was a sinister aura emanating from him and the silent ninja tensed unconsciously. The Bandaged man let out a guttural chuckle, seemingly finding their anxiety amusing.

Yoshimitsu regained his nerve and turned from where the strangers menacing aura had frozen him, the rain still hurled down around him. "We had a bandit problem. You're too late." His voice was bitter, the memories of raid clear and painful in his head. "So we have no need for a mercenary, you better move on…" He finished nervously, fearing that he had not handled the situation well.

The Bandaged man's menace only intensified and the air took on the smell of freshly spilled blood, the team leader unconsciously checked his chakra system for genjutsu but it came back clean. ' _How is he doing this to us?'_

"How am I supposed to pay for my sake, if you have no work for me?" the hoarse voice spoke again, breaking the leader from his reverie, The Bandaged man shifted his right foot half an inch. The other ninja stood quickly and placed hands on their respective weapons! The temperature had dropped and the air, the entire atmosphere, filled with a dense malice. This man was dangerous! A murderer! All their instincts told them to run but they dared not turn their back on him.

The bandaged man ran his left hand over the mess of tobacco and spilled sake that covered the table top, before planting it in a clear space and leaning heavily on the surface. His other hand had vanished into his pocket and the ninja knew that it was curled around a weapon. Once again the bandaged head seemed to scan the surrounding village as if it could see the desolation.

"You guys are gonna make a dishonest man out of me…" the voice rasped again. "You see I have my pride; you have kindly let me drink your sake. How can I repay this kindness?" The voice was ramping up, building with the tension and the ninja didn't like where it seemed to be going. "I don't have the money to pay for such a fine, luxurious refreshment and now you tell me I cannot provide a service? My honour…"

The hand on the table started to slowly curl into a fist. The bandaged fingers gouged four distinct trails into the table.

The leader's eyes widened ' _All this over sake? This guy's insane'!_ He thought and he stepped into the cover of the veranda hands spread placating "don't worry about that, we don't need anything." He was pleading "Just let us be, you can stay in the village if you want just…" he tailed off.

He knew and he knew his team did as well, this stranger; this 'man' could kill them without breaking a sweat. Even if the numbers were in his teams favour he still didn't want a fight to break out. Not with this bandaged freak. It was the blank face. No sign of emotion, it dehumanised this man. The blank bandages made him seem capable anything.

The stranger's shoulders sagged "how kind of you." The menace in the tone had vanished and been replaced with a monotonous boredom. The veranda suddenly seemed airy as the claustrophobic weight lifted and the lanterns brightened again. The lead ninja breathed a silent sigh of relief, the situation seemed defused.

The stranger was quite obviously psychotic though and the sooner the team got out of there the better.

He signalled his men with a wave of his hand and the started to gather there scant possessions quickly. It didn't take long and without another word they began trudging through the rain towards the eastern side of the village, fighting the urge to run in case a swift movement triggered another mercurial mood change in this stranger. The team dared not look back at the ominous figure that still leant against the table, shoulders hunched and the right hand still thrust into the parka pocket.

* * *

The bandaged man waited until they had left the village by the eastern gate before releasing a shuddering sigh. _Too close, it's getting harder to control_. He pulled his other hand out of his coat pocket and coolly observed the shaking appendage before lowering it onto the table. _I nearly killed them, for no reason… I still could…_ The darker half of psyche mused.

It was at this point he appropriately noticed amongst the mess on the table that one of the ninja had forgotten a kunai; it was standing point first in table just behind the sake bottle. He reached over and ran his index finger over the ring on the handle…

His hand clenched suddenly around the knife, yanking it from the table. Wrestling with his bloodthirsty urges but finding he was spinning away from the table, parka flaring dramatically, and taking a single measured step towards the retreating ninja…

With great effort The Bandaged Man dropped to his knees, releasing the abandoned weapon into the grit and rain water before clutching at his bandaged face…

" **What are you waiting for?"**

The Bandaged Man cast around looking for the voice, he'd heard it earlier when he'd been asking for sake. Moulding his chakra into the gusts around him he used the winds to search for the source of the voice. It was a clever bit of wind style he was particularly proud of as he wasn't naturally a sensor type.

Nothing. He started to panic but a wave of calm washed over him suddenly, the mystery of the disembodied voice had started to bore him. There was a slight nagging in the back of his mind though; it seemed to be trying to highlight the importance of the voice. The Bandaged Man just waved it away "Ssshhh Ssh" he said aloud his scratching voice softened a bit becoming sing-song and childish.

His left hand came up and stroked his chin thoughtfully. He tugged a little at the linen around his mouth and got to his feet again. What was all this worry about? Oh yes! He was bored. He walked out the village absently. He was humming merrily again.

* * *

A few hours and miles away from the village Yoshimitsu allowed a small sigh of relief out. He'd doubted the maniac would let them leave so easily. The freak had seemed indecisive, conflicted even. His intense bloodlust had been palpable but something had seemed to temper it in the final exchange.

Yoshimitsu turned to his haggard looking team, they hadn't slept since that patrol and it was evident in their eyes. They needed to get out of this rain and get some sleep, then Yoshimitsu would think of a plan. He would come up with something and they would be alright.

"Come on guys, let's find some shelter and then we'll set up camp" They had come to a wide open field, it's earth had been previously baked by the sun and now the rain ran down the slight slope of the terrain forming a thin layer of greasy mud that settled on top of the rock solid earth. It made for treacherous footing and they had all had their fair share of falls. Through the heavy rain a forest loomed up in front of them, it looked welcoming and dry in comparison and they picked up the pace as much as their tired limbs would let them.

Yoshimitsu turned to face the forest again and trudged towards it hopefully. A short shriek broke the patter of rainfall.

Yoshimitsu span and saw one of his team had slipped again. "Come on Rei, don't be so melodramatic"

Blood mixed with mud and Yoshimitsu now saw the kunai in Rei's kidney. He quickly drew a kunai of his own and signalled for the team to form a defensive perimeter. Before they could gather a razor sharp blast of wind sped across the field causing them to scatter.

Rolling through the mud Yoshimitsu, locked his gaze onto were the attack had come from. In his peripheral he saw Chikao do the same and they both sprang towards it, they crisscrossed evasively before Chikao leapt to attack from above and Yoshimitsu straightened into a full frontal assault…

There was no one there. The two friends locked eyes briefly, the worry was clear. Dashing back towards their genin team, they were relieved to see the other two standing in their defensive positions still.

Suddenly the one on the left had his feet dragged out from under him by a Kusarigama, instead of just tugging him down though it sliced cleanly through the shin bone. He fell screaming in agony. Blood mixed with the mud again.

' _Where the fuck did that come from!?'_ Yoshimitsu panicked, the other genin made to run to them but the Kusarigama came out of nowhere again and cleanly bisected him from shoulder to waist. The top half of him slid slowly off the lower half and both feel heavily into the muck.

Yoshimitsu and Chikao were frozen in horror. They tried to comprehend the scene but it all seemed like some sick joke. Their village, their families and now their team? A maniacal chuckle originated from behind them. "heh heh heh, oopss"

They turned slowly but the evil in that laughter had already told them who it was.

The Bandaged Man stood in the rain, the Kusarigama chain held slackly in his right hand, the scythe part lying inattentively in the mud. He had a bandaged hand on his stomach and was bent double with wicked laughter.

Yoshimitsu lifted his kunai at the monster. "Why!?" he screamed into the downpour.

The murderer snapped upright, his laughter fading in an instant. The chain was slowly whipped into action until it was spinning in lazy circles. The wind chakra edge of the scythe sliced through the air, it thrummed melodically

"Why not?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: And this is all I have so far, if you like it review and ask for more.**

The Bandaged man awoke with a violent jerk; his dreams had suddenly soured as the faces of the two chuunin he'd killed 8 days ago had appeared. He lay in a field full of long flowing grass with weeping willow dotted about, he had no memory of how he'd ended up there. The Bandaged Man climbed heavily to his feet. His head was throbbing and his mouth dry and foul smelling.

The early morning sun filtered through thin cirrus clouds and illuminated the field in golden light; it stung his eyes through the bandages. He snapped his head to the left when a nearby bird took off, his linen wrapped fingers stiffened into claws before relaxing. The rigidness of his back suggested otherwise though, it was tense and unyielding.

' _Not again. Not again…'_ Guilt racked his body in great heaving sobs. The linen wraps around his hands had sinister maroon stains on them. _'Not again.'_ He had broken memories of the incident. _Two men standing over the remains of their team._ _Him trying to scream, trying to tell them to run. But his body was a prison. It didn't obey him_. He moaned aloud as the memory of dragging the Kusarigama across the leaders throat came crashing down on him. Then he cursed violently as he recalled the crunch of bones as he'd killed the second in command.

He was plagued by his actions. Actions that were beyond his control. The only positive was that the killing had eased the hunger. He'd felt more lucid since then and had used it to place himself far out of harm's way.

The Bandaged Man had successfully avoided three settlements in the last week; abandoning roads for days and wading through a bog. He had congratulated himself on his self-control. And though he'd felt the urge growing in him again he was reassured when he'd seen only wilderness from the last viewpoint. He could be safe in the knowledge that no one would die, for now.

He set of through the dusty plain, rolling his neck. His right hand strayed absently into his parka pocket.

* * *

Ami Matsuki collapsed into the dense shrubbery and gasped desperately. Her clothes were torn from the mad dash through the forest and leaves were sticking out of her black hair. She was probably pretty under all the soot on her face and her blue eyes were bloodshot from smoke and tears. At only thirteen years old she was small and skinny, still a child.

Poking her head around the tree she was using as cover, she checked the way she'd come from. No one seemed to be following… The child whimpered in her arms. She looked down and hurriedly tried to soothe him. "Ssshhh ssshhh, not now please not now."

There was a snap.

She froze and pulled the young boy close to her chest. Miraculously the baby seemed to sense the danger of the moment and stopped crying. Ami dared not move, dared not check the other side of the tree. She could feel the presence; the body heat seemed to leak around the sapling.

Moving at a glacial rate, her head turned to the left and saw a man's hand resting on the same tree. Just inches away… ' _No, No, No, No...'_ The hand shifted a bit and footsteps rustled through the grass and came to a stop.

Then a gush of liquid splashed against the other side of the tree and the man gave a sigh of relief.

"Kanjuro! What are you doing?!"

"Sorry boss, I was bursting!"

"Get the fuck back over here; you piss when I tell you to!"

"Yeah sorry boss"

The disembodied voice receded into the distance and Ami realised she'd been holding her breath. Looking down at the child in her arms she carefully got to her feet and started jogging in the other direction. Towards the rising sun.

* * *

 _2 Hours Earlier_

Ami tossed and turned in her bed, her dreams filled with fire and smoke. It was so realistic; she could even feel the smoke burning her lungs. It was getting harder to breathe and heat was unimaginable…

"Ami! Ami! Aaaami!" A voice echoed through the hellish dreamscape. It seemed familiar. Suddenly strong hands shook her, jarring her from the dreams. She opened her eyes _'Am I awake?'_

The waking world was no different from her dreams, thick black smoke filled her room, at first she thought there was a mirror over her before she realised that it was her mother's wild looking face that was stark white and fearful in the smoggy dark.

"Mum what's…?"

"Get up now!" The response was bordering on a panicked frenzy. "Move! The village is under attack!" Ami fell from her bed and scrambled to grab a few of her meagre possessions, a thick coat and a precious hairbrush. "Quick your father is waiting in the back garden! We've got to get to the forest!"

The mother and daughter dashed from the room and tumbled down the stairs as a large portion of the first floor collapsed. Dragging themselves to their feet they made a wild dash to the backdoor, trying to stay low where the air was clearer. Through the kitchen, crawling through the collapsed doorframe of the sitting room and breaking into a wild sprint for the sliding door. There was a snapping, splintering noise and a beam fell behind Ami.

She rolled into the garden breathlessly trying to gather her wits. Looking around she saw her father crouched behind the garden wall. He waved her over. "Where's your Mother?"

Ami looked at him in shock. The world slowed down and the explosions and screams faded until all she could hear was her heavy heartbeat. "She was right behind me" her voice sounded miles away.

They both turned to the back door, there was nothing but wreckage. "…Mum?" There was her small voice again; it seemed to echo in her head as she desperately scanned the rubble for any sign of life.

"MUUUUM!" She was shrieking now and her father slapped a hand across her mouth.

"Keep quiet. They're still nearby." She looked over to her dad, a single tear was running down his cheek but in his eyes there was only steel. His brown hair was sweaty and sticking up in crazy angles and his jaw set sternly. He looked exhausted, mentally and physically but in control. A strange calm exuded from him.

He roughly took her by the shoulders. "Listen to me; you've got to get to the forest. Okay, take the straightest line you can. Don't stop. Don't slow down and don't look back. There's a village that we trade with about thirty miles east. It's far but you can make it, you've got to Ami."

Ami tried to control her tears and listen to her father's rapid speech. "What about you Dad?"

He hesitated briefly; the steel in his eyes was replaced with a poignant tenderness she had never seen before. "We can't both make it. I'm going to give you a window, don't let me down" He placed a hand on her black hair and clumsily thumbed a tear from her cheek.

"…Dad…"

"Not now, we don't have time. Be safe angel." With that he pushed her away, towards the back garden gate. He then vaulted the wall and dashed towards the main street…

Ami couldn't quite comprehend that would be the last time she saw him, she thought it but she couldn't imagine it. Almost robotically she got to her feet and started walking to the gate. Once past the gat her pace quickened and built into a jog. Soon she was sprinting through the ruins of her home.

Fires burned uncontrollably and everywhere she looked the streets were littered with rubble, shruiken and bodies. She wept as she ran but didn't stop, didn't slow down and didn't look back.

She was nearing the edge of the village now, the buildings receded and the cool green of the forest loomed towards her. ' _Not far now'._ It was funny, as a child she'd been terrified of the forest, of getting lost and never being able to see her parents again. Seemed her worst fears were coming true…

Then in the debris to her left there was a sudden squawking and wailing. Ami turned her head and slowed, her father's words echoed in her head but she knew that noise. She couldn't turn away from this.

Dashing over to the rubble pile she saw the body of a woman, with a cluster of kunai in her back. The wailing seemed to be coming from the body. Ami crept close, checking over her shoulders for any of the raiding ninja and then carefully tugged the woman's body aside. There beneath was a baby, no doubt the child of the protective woman. She had died to save him. Ami couldn't help but draw comparisons to her own mother.

Quickly scooping up the baby she continued her mad dash to the forest. She needed to get to safety. It wasn't just her life on the line now.

* * *

 _2 Days Later_

The forest swayed lazily as a strange sepia light filtered through the yellow leaves. The Bandaged Man staggered on through it, the trees parted before him and their bark twisted in strange gnarled patterns. He hummed merrily to himself as he weaved between them, arms hanging by his sides heavily. ' _What a lovely day'_ He felt a strange bubble of elation swell in his stomach and send shivers down his spine. ' _Yes a wonderful day…'_

He leaned heavily against a tree and watched in wonder as the ever changing patterns of the bark seemed to shift onto his bandages. The bandages had their own unique way of expressing the patterns though and he was enraptured by them. ' _Fascinating…'_ He raised a bandaged hand to the light so he could examine them better. Soon his whole arm was a geometric blur and he chuckled.

" **Yes very amusing aren't they?"** A deep voice spoke from behind him. It carried timbre that spoke of heavy metals and age old mountains. The single sentence was so heavy The Bandaged Man dropped to his knees; the patterns were changing now, jagged and faster moving. The trees now leaned in towards him, their branches scratched and bit at him drawing blood that quickly stained the linen on his hands.

"Who are you?" He rasped his voice did not betray the pain he felt. The branches were now thrashing and the blood on his hands tainted the golden light that had previously bathed the woodlands.

" **Oh you know"** The deep voice spoke again, feeling like a crashing tidal wave. The sun lost its light and in the darkness The Bandaged Man could smell the decay of dead flesh. In the faint ruby glow the roots of the trees looked skeletal and the patterns on the trees took on the faces of those he'd killed. They muttered foul curses that were lost in an icy wind and earth became wet with their blood.

He pushed himself to his feet under the assault of whipping tree branches and tried to lurch away from the onslaught. His feet squelched into the gore beneath him and he sank down to his knees. **"Don't run from me, there is no escape"**

"What do you want?!" The Bandaged Man's hoarse voice ripped through the trees. As if by command it all disappeared. The woods now green and tranquil, he was hyperventilating. Digging his fingers into the earth and tearing at the grass roots. But it was not the same.

Nothing was alright anymore and he no longer felt reassured by his self-enforced could feel a shadow in the back of his mind, it had been there before but now it seemed more tangible, more powerful… hungrier.

" **You know exactly what I want."**

* * *

Ami marched on relentlessly; her feet were bruised and bloody as her shoes hadn't made it out of the house with her. The baby was mewling now; no doubt hungry but she couldn't do anything about that. The best she could do for them was to get to the next village. Dark thoughts entered her mind, what if it had succumbed to rogue ninja like her village? What if there was nowhere else to go?

Trying to shake the thoughts from her head Ami started looking for somewhere to rest; she'd been walking for two days now, only sleeping in brief hour snatches. If she could set up a camp for a day or so she could try and find some food… She'd been lucky enough to have come across a stream where she had spent some time fashioning a beaker out of bamboo. It was a trick her father had taught her.

The problem though was that the terrain was changing, she didn't recognise any of the plants anymore. ' _What if they're poisonous?'_ Her dad had taught her a lot about woodcraft; he'd been a huntsman and spent a lot of time in the forest. When he'd realised she was afraid of the place, he'd taught her basic survival to try and conquer her phobia. But she had never wandered far into the wood. Not when the village had been so safe.

' _How ironic, oh mum, dad. What am I going to do?'_ Ami rested her back against an oak, sliding down the tree before coming to rest in a sitting position. Her back ached from carrying the extra weight of the child and her eyes itched with tiredness.

She looked down at the baby boy in her arms. Not for the first time she thought about leaving him behind. He was slowing her down, did it make sense them both dying? She broke from her reverie and shook her head violently. _'No, I've got to make it to the next village. It can't be far now, Dad always spoke about it, said it was way bigger than ours, I can't miss it'_

Forcing herself back to her feet she trudged on, the baby had started whimpering again. The cries were getting weaker.

* * *

Another few miles through the forest passed slowly, she was in the wilderness now, the forest was entirely alien and there weren't even dirt tracks anymore. Just fields of lazily swaying grass, with weeping willows dropping their ashen leaves as far as the eye could see.

Then she saw him, a man lying prostrate on the ground, the long grass had hidden him from view before but now she was closer he stood out. The man was tall and sinewy, his grey parka flared dramatically around him where he'd fallen. He wasn't moving and was obviously injured something horrible due to the amount of bandages covering him. _'Probably a burn victim'_ Ami thought. _'I wonder what happened to him'_

She stepped a little closer but stopped herself. However frail he looked he was a stranger, he couldn't be trusted. Ami had to get to the next village; she couldn't afford to drag the man with her. Lifting her heavy feet she started to carefully tread around him.

"Water…" Ami nearly jumped out her skin as a grating voice sprang from the injured man. She turned to see that he had lifted a weak arm towards her, "please… water" She stared down at the blank linen mask and succumbed to her good nature.

Kneeling down in the long grass on the left of him and laying the grizzling baby down, Ami reached into her pocket, dug out her crafted water bottle before gently pouring a few drips through the bandages over the man's mouth. She could hear him sucking at the strips of cloth, it was a frantic sound. He seemed near deaths door.

Ami was young; she had never had a first-hand experience before the destruction of her home. Even then what she had experienced in the village had been so fast and horrific; a lot of it had been blocked out. But now kneeling next to a man that looked so weak and defenceless she was shocked by the fragile nature of the human body. It was terrifying seeing how one could be walking tall and suddenly be left clinging desperately to life.

"What happened sir? How did you end up like this" Ami asked shocked that the words had come out involuntarily. The masked head rolled to face her, too weak to lift from the ground. It seemed the worst of his problems were caused by dehydration; she carefully dripped more water through the bandages.

"I was attacked. By a ninja I think…" The gravelly voice sent shivers down her spine. It reminded her of fingernails down a chalkboard. "I was escaping my old village. But they must have followed me." The grating voice continued.

' _So this is happening everywhere… I've got to try and help him…"_ She gently pressed her small hand into his bandaged hand one trying to reassure him. He hissed and pulled his free quickly, it came to a rest on his chest and all tensed up like a claw. "Oh I'm sorry! Your burns… they must hurt terribly…" The claw relaxed.

"More than you could ever imagine, child." He wheezed back at her. "What are doing all alone in the woods…?" Ami tried to hold back her tears but it was fruitless, big fat teardrops splashed down onto the man's chest and his bandaged head tilted in confusion.

"My village was destroyed like yours… my mum and dad… I've got to get to the next settlement. It's close. Can you move? You could make it…"

He seemed to shake his head slowly back and forth but the motion transformed subtly into a nod.

The Man lifted his head up slowly, hissing in pain. "Sssss… Allow me to escort you to the next village dear. I can't stop there; I think these ninja are following me. But it's the least I can do for you." He reached out tentatively and took her hand. "Thank you… for saving me."

Ami smiled through her tears. It felt good to have someone older with her, like the weight of responsibility was lifted.

"What's your name dear?" the voice was a soft as it possibly could be. The roughness was almost tender.

The Bandaged Mans right hand crept subtly towards his parka pocket. The bloodlust he'd fought to control for days now peaked; it roared in his belly and made his heart flutter with adrenaline. ' _It must be soon.'_ There was a hollowness in him that only killing could fill.

"I'm Ami! I'm so glad I found you sir" Ami sobbed "I thought me and the baby was gonna to die in these woods!"

The hand halted suddenly. "Baby?" The word triggered a brief window of sanity. He quickly observed his surroundings and noticed the girl of about 13 kneeling next to him. How on earth had he got here? Where had she come from? He'd abandoned himself in the backwoods of the world and still he was within inches of taking a life. With immense willpower he laid his right hand on the ground.

She was in terrible danger. The baby…

He tried to warn her but was unable to move without sacrificing this control.

Ami smiled, "yeah this little guy" she picked him up from the grass and held him close to the man so he could see through his bandages. "His mother died when the ninja destroyed my village… I don't know his name but he's all that's left of my home. I rescued him."

The Bandaged man let his head fall back to the floor. "That was very brave of you" he sounded strained even a bit panicked. "Listen… I don't know if I can take you to the next village… I know I said but those ninja could be following me still. Plus I'd only slow you down." He tried to speak soothing but the tension in his body was making his voice quake. He fought the impulse to snatch at her throat; this child had to leave now, he didn't know how much longer he could hold it.

Ami saw his right arm twitching and heard his voice waver; she figured the pain was getting to him.

Ami struck him across the face, not noticing the sudden claw his right hand made. "NO! You've got to come; I can't take anyone else dying! I know I don't know you but… but… well you're the only person I know now…"

The last vestiges of his sanity shattered like glass. Cast aside for something easier and painless.

Suddenly he was a different man; he let his tensed shoulders relax and sat up smoothly without a trace of pain. He spoke with ease and offered both his steady hands to her.

A cynical chuckle emanated from the bandages. "Alright… Gimme a hand up then." He continued to chuckle as she lay down the baby and clutched at his hands.

The remnants of his sanity screamed in horror, but it was no longer in control, it could only watch and remember now. The raucous laughter continued until it was almost hysterical.

"Are you alright sir…?" The child's face seemed concerned, but not for her safety, she seemed worried about him.

' _Oh you poor innocent thing. You've had such a hard day'_ The bloodlust was in complete control now.

"Oh yes I'm fine Ami. I'm fine. Feeling better already in fact" He let a little whistle out to show how cheery he felt. The hunger in him had subsided and a strange bubble of elation in his stomach was sending shivers down his spine.

She dragged him to his feet and he managed to bear his weight. Taking the baby in his left arm and placing his right hand on her shoulder he started walking them eastward, humming a merry tune.

" **They're perfect"**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Hindsight

Iax opened his eyes slowly; they flicked about his surrounding feverishly. Pain was coursing through his body, it felt like each vein and artery was filled with molten lead. _Where am I?_ It was a small room resting on an old wooden bed; the room was lit by a flickering fire nestled in the fire places. The floor was dusty and timbers and walls were blackened with filth. The place looked decrepit and rundown ' _Where am I? I remember…_ '

The battle with Kushimaru came back in a violent flash, the blood, the singing swords and the execution. ' _The poison!'!_ Iax leapt to his feet but his legs wobbled untrustworthily and he collapsed into a rickety bedside table. He took in the surrounding room and felt entirely helpless.

The resulting crash had caused someone to stand downstairs and their footsteps could soon be heard stomping up the stairs, Iax scanned the room quickly searching for his sword but it was nowhere in sight. ' _I probably couldn't lift it anyway.'_ Retching as a sudden vertigo made his head spin Iax managed to push himself up to his hands and knees. The floor boards creaked under his weight and his arms quaked.

The door burst open and woman of about 20 charged over to him, he clenched a fist and made to swing before noticing that she seemed more worried than bloodthirsty. Iax paused briefly allowing he to grab his raised arm and started tugging him towards the bed. "What are you doing up!? You can't be out of bed right now! I'm not letting you waste all my bloody work!"

Iax was dumped unceremoniously onto the mattress and cuffed around the head for good measure. Once his assailant had calmed down he got a good look, she was tall and lithe with long black hair that reached down her back, her skin was as white as a lily and her soft her hands like silk against his coarse callouses. He looked up into her kind face and frowned "who are you?"

The woman tutted at the blunt question and Iax saw an open hand rise as if to cuff him. It lowered quickly but the sour expression remained. He weathered the storm with an emotionless mask on his face, hiding the pain that rippled through his body with each heartbeat. Once she had exhausted her anger he locked his stern green eyes with her soft brown ones.

"Where am I? Are we still in the village…?"The woman stiffened at the mention of the village; it was a small movement but Iax's trained eye caught it. The brown eyes grew misty as she remembered the gruesome scene of Kushimaru's 'justice'. She shrugged quickly and broke eye contact before sitting down on the chair next to the bed.

"No. I managed to get you here. We're about ten miles west of where you were." the response was quick and tight and she avoided mentioning the village. Iax's jaw clenched in anger, he'd been dragged off in the wrong direction, he hid his fury though hadn't spent a lot of time with other people bit it looked like the lady was trying not to cry "You were bleeding everywhere and you had a ridiculous fever. Kept muttering half sentences about someone called Shinji…" Iax stirred uncomfortably and ignored the last sentence "well anyway I'm Mari, I'm a healer of this village. What… Happened?"

Iax shrugged and then let out a heavy sigh "A ninja, ex ninja swordsman, absolutely insane. I got there and everyone was dead. We fought, I won."

Mari snorted at the condensed version of events. "Barely, you were basically dead! You had enough poison in you to kill three people!" Iax shrugged again and turned to Mari

"Thanks for everything Mari, but I've got to go…" The young lady looked as if she was going to protest but the giant ninja's eyes were resolute. He was going to leave whether she liked it or not, whether he could walk or would have to drag himself.

"It's by the front door" she muttered quietly, her eyes were downcast. Iax rose from the bed again. His legs wobbled, nausea roiled in his stomach but he had to make up for lost time. With nothing but his willpower forced his shaking legs to bear his great weight. He strode across the room and ducked through the doorframe. He looked back; his face was pale with big black bags under his eyes. "Thank you Mari…" his voice was a whisper.

Waiting by the front door was his great sword, he swept it up and slid the scabbards strap over his broad shoulders and deftly placed a small purse of silver pieces in its place. Mari had made no move to follow him, Iax was grateful. He didn't do byes and feelings, that ability had been stolen from him. The giant swordsman stepped out onto the street of a tiny village and pulled his moss green cloak tight around him as headed off into the early morning drizzle.

* * *

Back in the small dirty bedroom Mari looked despondently into the fire, she had found Iax three days ago, in her old village.

She had returned to the village her parents had raised her in for the harvest festival, it was a tradition she and her parents had honoured for as long as she had lived. It was always one of the happiest times of the year for her, the bright colours and loud music. Her parents insisted on buying her a toffee apple every year even though she had long protested that she wasn't a kid anymore.

As soon as Mari had arrived she had known something was wrong, a deadly quiet hung over her old home and there were no bonfires lit. As she had walked through the carnage she had been pale and silent, not fully capable of processing the surrounding gore. The blood in the gutters and the bunting… the beautiful bunting that had made the grey clouds of autumn bright and warm, now suspending the bodies of people she'd grown up with. Neighbours, shop owners, the toffee apple man… her parents. She'd seen them but she'd failed to register them, her mind went blank from shock and she ambled onwards vaguely. Lost in a place that was once so familiar.

She'd turned a corner onto the villages centre and nearly instantly spotted Iax. Instinctively she had rushed to him, her medical training kicking in. He was thrashing in the throes of a vicious fever, quite obviously caused by poison (vivid purple veins stretched away from the wound on his flank) and he was screaming. One name and one name only. Who was Shinji…?

Mari was pulled from her memories by the fire cracking and quickly rose from the chair, walking absently to the grimy window she looked through the thin misty rain at the back of the swordsman. He'd recovered remarkably, so fast… She had never had the chance to thank him. Mari had never wished death upon anyone, being a healer she had always valued life, but when she had looked down on the twisted corpse of Kushimaru the Demon Tailor a fierce satisfaction had blossomed in her chest. It scared her a little but vengeance won out and the satisfaction gave birth to a small whisper of a smile.

* * *

Iax had been walking east since leaving Mari's house and the sun was now at his back, the village he had battled Kushimaru in was where the trail he'd been following had gone cold. Iax was frustrated but he didn't feel hopeless. He'd lost the trail before, but he'd always picked it up again. Iax had the luxury of time, nowhere else to be, no one to go home to. He had committed his life to this hunt and he didn't care if it killed him or not, he just cared for vengeance.

He paused for a second; the poison was still taking its toll. The pains were fading now but waves of nausea still plagued him. Iax winced, bending at the waist and clutching at his abdomen as a particularly nasty stomach cramp hit him. Standing straight again he spat with distaste into the grass. Then pulling his sword higher onto his back he marched up a hill and pausing when he reached the crest, the hill dropped away into a jagged cliff face and from his vantage point he could see miles of dense forest in front of him, a veritable sea of oranges and yellow as autumn took a firm hold over the land. The sun was now setting behind him, the clouds dimming its rays and just visible in the grey light was a small column of blue smoke curling malevolently up from the orange canopy.

Iax's eyes lit up and a hateful smirk twitched across his face. His quarry was fast and cunning, but at the end of the day he was a slave to his baser urges and had a bad habit of leaving footprints. Big, bloody footprints. The man was no better than a beast. Iax clenched his fist until the tendons creaked. ' _Exercise some control. This poison means I'm not at my best. Patience and control'_

Iax dropped from the cliff face and floated down into the forest. He landed in a crouching three point stance. In the shade of the cliff the forest was murky and dim. He stole of through the trees. His gait was calm but if you looked in his eyes there was ferocity, a frenzied hate that could never be tamed.

* * *

Iax stepped over the collapsed gate; his expression was the definition of disappointment. The damage done to this village was beyond that of one man, all the traces pointed towards a large group of about 20 ninja. His quarry worked alone, a solitary ninja, Shinji was more than capable of killing everyone in this settlement but the wide spread destruction was not his style. He attacked with speed and precision, not overbearing force.

The Swordsman cast his sword of his shoulder and booted a nearby rock with enough force to send it crashing through the ruins of a nearby home. "RAAAAAA" His bellow echoed through the carcass of the village.

' _I was certain! I was certain he was here.'_

Iax snatched up his sword again and stomped over to the last remaining shelter, it was a bar that leaned heavily to the left and a rickety veranda shivered and creaked in the breeze. Iax ducked into the veranda and took note of the upturned table, a broken sake bottle lay on the floor next to it and there was a sticky mess of tobacco and alcohol all over the place. He sighed and slid down the wall to the floor; resting his sword against his chest he closed his eyes, attempting a brief bit of sleep.

 _*Flashback*_

 _Iax looked down the length of his wooden training sword he had clenched in two hands. He was breathing deeply; a rolling bead of sweat ran down his forehead and stung his eyes. Opposite him stood Shinji, sweat free and smirking arrogantly. Their training fights seemed to go this way a lot._

 _They stood in a meadow, it was beautiful. A small stream flowed through the north east corner and clusters of flowers highlight the swaying grass. It was ringed in by tall strong trees will silver bark and bright verdant leaves. The sun was high in the sky but the heat was perfectly cooled by a soothing breeze._

 _They didn't give a shit._

 _Shinji waved his sword lazily from side to side, he was enjoying himself. Iax watched as he dragged his left hand through his thick black hair and arrogantly rubbed his black eyes, feigning tiredness._

" _You caught your breath yet Iax?" He drawled "I'm getting to a really good part in my book soooo…" Shinji tapped the wrist of his sword hand. Iax clenched his teeth together and let a guttural growl creep up his throat. Shinji just laughed._

 _Iax charged at him, he held his sword a loft in two hands. He swept it down with all the force he could muster. Shinji simply side stepped. Then smashed the flat of the training sword into Iax's nose. Ruby droplets fell into the emerald grass. Iax reeled backwards and was forced to duck under a brutal slash. He stepped into Shinji's guard and smashed the smaller boy's ribcage with his shoulder._

 _Shinji fell back and Iax pursued. He needed to put more pressure on him. Couldn't let the nimble bastard compose himself. Iax chopped at his ankles then spun into a roundhouse. Shinji stepped clear at the last seconds but was still unbalanced. Iax lunged at him. He realised just a second too late he was overextending. His weight was too far forward to leap clear._

 _Smack! Thud! Crunch! Iax caught the malicious smirk on Shinji's face just before his rival unleashed a salvo of blows. A fist crashed into Iax's cheek, the training sword was smashed from his hand and then a knee collided with his ribs. Iax was lifted bodily from the ground and sailed backwards into a tree._

 _He slid down the trunk into a heap of jumbled limbs. Footsteps came closer and stopped in front of him. He looked up to see Shinji staring down at him._

" _Don't you ever learn Iax?" Iax silently vowed that he would wipe the smug look from his rivals face. Shinji turned to walk away. Iax leapt, his teeth bared and flashing in the noon sun. His fist connected squarely with back of Shinji's skull. Before the smaller boy could react Iax had tackled him to the ground. He lifted his fist to hit him again but Shinji used the momentum of the tackle to throw him forwards. The both leapt to their feet and took fighting stances._

" _Enough."_

 _The voice was impassive yet commanding. Instantly the boys froze. "Curb your enthusiasm; this is not a fight to the death. It was a training bout!" The voice's tempo never changed and it wasn't raised into a shout. But somehow it cracked like a whip, they flinched before it._

 _Their Sensei dropped into the clearing. A bolt from the blue. His long poncho caught the wind theatrically and he locked his students in place with a piercing glare from his black eyes. He was around sixty years of age; a watchful hawk of a man, who only spoke when it had value and rarely suffered fools._

 _His hair, once black, was now a charcoal grey. Most of it was concealed by bands of linen but a few stray pieces hung around his face. He was wearing almost entirely black, his pale skin ghoulish in the summer sun. It was hard to tell what he was thinking; his face was almost always an impassive mask but today the boys could see fury in the coal like eyes._

" _Iax. Your attacks are predictable, linear and lacking subtly. You rely too much on your size and strength. Even your better strikes leave you unbalanced." Iax hung his head, he'd really tried. Shinji struggled to conceal a smile at his rival's poor review. But their sensei was not finished._

" _Shinji, you" he locked eyes with the black haired boy "are not as good as you think you are. Your arrogance will get you killed. You have innate talent but you never learn from these bouts. Iax learns and adjusts; he'll out strip you if you are not careful."_

 _Shinji nodded quickly, he tried to hide the frustration in his eyes but their sensei never missed these things. He didn't do sentimentality though "30 Katas, fitness and then jutsu theory." Shinji resolutely nodded but Iax lost his cool._

" _Sensei!" he yelped indignantly "But you had a new jutsu for me! I've been practising my control all week!"_

" _Hn. And then you disappointed me. You could have exercised that control when you lost the fight. Ninja are not feral beasts." The response was measured and curt. It cut deep._

 _*Flashback Ends*_

Iax sat on the floor of the veranda, his tired bloodshot eyes looking at the devastation.

' _You were wrong Sensei.'_

* * *

He'd left the ruins within the hour. Though there was no rain there was a cold wind, he pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and trudged on. The trees had thinned and he was standing on a muddy plain that stretched for at least three miles. His foul mood was intensified by the slick nature of the mud, it refused to grant his boots purchase, forcing chakra out of the soles of his feet soon remedied the foothold but not his temper.

Iax was stumped again. The wreckage of the last town had been the first sign of hope he had in months now. The ninja army in the east had seemed likely at the time, but the more Iax thought about the more he realised it wasn't Shinji's style. Shinji had disappeared

But the universe loved proving him wrong.

Looking down Iax saw a set of five footprints, they were quite old. They were walking in the same direction as him. _'Five ninja are not enough to sack a settlement. All the signs there pointed toward a platoons worth. Survivors? Maybe they could tell me what happened.'_

He hunched in excitement, the rational part of his mind warned him that it was probably a dead end. He jogged along the trail, due to the open nature of the plain and the softness of the mud it was easy to follow them.

' _They were tired, the indentations are deep. One slipped here, conditions must have been pretty grim if they weren't stopping to rest. Wait.'_ Iax noticed a single footprint that did not match any of the other five. Unlike the other five it was shallower, the way it sat on top of their prints suggest its owner had been following them.

Iax paused. His heart pumped excitedly.

He ran with the trail now, patience abandoned. He was gaining ground.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Marsh Mist Fiends

Iax had found the footprints owners. It wasn't pretty.

If he hadn't of counted five sets off foot prints whilst he tracked them down he would have struggled to guess their number. All of them bar one man were dismembered, mutilated limbs were scattered every which way. The mud here was stickier and darker in colour. Their weapons that were still clutched in desperate death grips were broken; each face looked drawn and agonised.

Iax checked the tree line; their footprints had suggested they'd been pushing for shelter. Then the one following them had struck.

Iax circled the bodies trying to learn a bit more; he noticed how the legs of one of them had been cut clean through. ' _Through the shin bone no less.'_ Crouching next to the corpse he examined the cut, perfectly smooth. The blade had sliced through flesh and bone like it was butter. ' _Enhancing the edge with chakra. Lightning? No, no it's too clean. Wind chakra'_ He straightened, let out a sigh, it wasn't a lot to go on.

The most annoying thing was that the assailant's footprints disappeared here as well. They were incredibly shallow in comparison with the tracks of the victims. The man walked like a ghost. Iax looked back to the massacre; there was a look of abject terror on the face of one body. They eyes bulged almost comically but there was something else about the look in them. There was a hint of recognition. The murderer had met his victims beforehand, he'd let them walk off and then followed.

' _What does that imply? The murderer is meticulous? He avoided direct confrontation and attacked later when he had the advantage. Shinji wouldn't need the element of surprise.'_

"Your poor bastards" Iax scrunched up his face sourly and spat into the gore. He lifted his hands _'Tiger, horse, ram, snake'_ Doton: Sinkhole Tomb Jutsu. The ground beneath bodies rippled like water then suddenly collapsed and the corpse disappeared into the earth. Iax stood for a moment at the impromptu grave, he didn't do sentimentality but respect didn't cost a thing, before turning to face east. The sun was rising now, the forests canopy bathed in the rosy rays.

Was this Shinji? Shinji would have struck them down when he'd met them the first time; Iax had never known Shinji to stalk prey. But the way they'd been killed… It was skilled work. The person who'd done it obviously enjoyed himself as well, especially as he'd taken the time to reveal himself to the man who'd recognised him. _'Wind chakra…'_ That was an impressive technique.

Iax shrugged, he didn't have any other leads. There was no way of confirming whether or not this psycho was his quarry but Iax didn't care. One less murderer on the loose was a win in his books. Plus the technique of this mystery killer excited him. The clean cut shin bone jumped to mind and a sadistic smile grew on his face. If he found this man it'd be a fight to remember.

* * *

In the far east of the Land of Waves there was one super power remaining, a clan strong enough to survive The Downfall. They owned three villages controlling an area of about 60 miles or so, each village formed a triangle around a massive salt-water lake, comparable to a small sea. It was their source of income; they fished for food, formed the coral they dived for into jewellery and were known as competent shipwrights throughout the land. They were famous however for another reason.

The Hozuki Clan, powerful and unforgiving. A few years earlier a large group of rogue ninja had attempted to take the largest of their villages. It was a fools errand they paid for their arrogance many times over though when the Hozuki had crushed them. However the Hozuki's thirst for vengeance was not sated by that alone, they proceeded to systematically destroy each of the known rogue ninja gangs in the area surrounding the lake, they made it as gruesome and as public as possible. They were a clan of sadists after all and each clan member made it well known to anyone that listened that the Hozuki were enjoying the purge.

Shozagetsu Hozuki was the captain of their ninja forces, the strongest ninja they had to offer. He was a tall, athletic man with thick white hair that fell to his shoulder blades; he let it hang loosely all over the place because he liked how it looked when it was stained with his enemies' blood. His bright violet eyes shone out from behind the messy locks, they had a cruel excitement to them that was echoed by his grin of sharpened teeth. He'd been one of the commanding officers during the purge, his exploits had made him a legend in his own lifetime.

Shozagetsu was hunting rogues. He'd been assigned with making the Hozuki clan's land safe for its residents, a task that filled him with pride. He was already the peoples hero and he loved servicing that image. It complimented his ego nicely. Turning to his hand selected team he wiped dew from his purple t-shirt, the Hozuki clan symbol was emblazoned boldly on the front, and smiled. They were assembled in a clearing just outside the most western village, the ground beneath foot was damp and boggy. The late morning sun made the soggy forest sparkle.

"Now my loyal and noble clansmen… and women" he added quickly seeing his second in command Yu frown. "We have been tasked with safety of our homeland" his sibilant voice almost hissed the sentence "as I understand it; this is the most important job in the ninja world. The Hozuki clan is the last hope for this miserable planet and protecting it is safeguarding the future." He was swept away with emotion, moisture forming in his in his violet eyes before a hand quickly swept it away, he smiled proudly.

"Careful boss, it really weirds me out when you get all weepy." The bass tones of Fumiaki Hozuki stated bluntly. He was a short, squat man his body swathed in a long pale blue coat with a high collar; his white hair was dread-locked and pulled back into a ponytail and the bridge of his nose had two metal rings pierced through. Two violet eyes stared coldly out either side, they were not aggressive just truly indifferent.

Yu quickly stepped between the captain and Fumiaki."Boy's let's not fight again." She said softly, her voice was husky and rich, like good whisky. she calmly looked from left two right as the clearing filled with the two mens killing intent. Shozagetsu was resting his hands on his matching kriss; Fumiaki was spinning his axe in lazy circles. They stared into each other's eyes and the tension reached breaking point.

"Hoh hoh hoh" Fumiaki's deep booming laughter echoed through the clearing it almost harmonised with Shozagetsu's snake like sniggering.

"I'll kill you one day bastard heheheh" Shozagetsu giggled as he lowered his hands from his kriss. he then leisurely walked over to Yu as if the confrontation had never occurred "So, heheheh" he was still giggling hysterically "sorry forgive me! Back to business! So!? The Intel?" He was still barely managing to contain his merriment; the thought of killing Fumiaki was just too amusing.

Yu glared at him, her violet eyes were lighter than the two men's, more lilac. She swept her black hair behind her ear and let her stern face dissolve into a look of exasperation. "Why do you keep picking him for your team if you hate him so much?" The captain was always very particular about his teams and without fail he always selected Fumiaki to be on his team, this choice always baffled Yu.

"Because he's the best…" The captain's eyes sparkled "plus he makes me laugh"

* * *

The team were hunting down rumours of a large contingent of rogue ninja moving east. They'd destroyed a few villages in the past few weeks; the refugee's turning up at Lake Hozuki had warned the clan elders of their approach. Within half an hour Shozagetsu had been standing in their office, head bowed respectfully, as he received his orders. If the swathe of destruction was anything to go by this ninja gathering were too be viewed as a threat, Shozagetsu's team was to primarily scout out the enemy and after sending the location back to HQ they were to thin out the numbers with guerilla tactics.

It was Shozagetsu's favourite type of mission; the hunt, the strategising that all just built the anticipation and served to sharpen his appetite. Then the fun part. Killing stray ninja off at first, slowly letting the majority know they were under attack, then when the Rogue Nin were too afraid to leave their camp-fire… full scale assault. A shiver of satisfaction ran down his spine.

The settlements around Lake Hozuki were the Land of Waves last hope for civilisation. It was an intense honour being charged with protection of humanities... humanity. He would not let it fall. Plus it was great bragging rights.

According to the Intel the team headed west. The autumn chill in the air had created a light mist that swirled around the mangroves. It was about waist high and covered the boggy mud beneath. This thicket of stunted trees was old; it creaked loudly in the wind, huge rotting logs protruded out of the marsh and its mist. Shozagetsu smiled fondly, he found a rugged beauty in the swamp. The marshlands circled Lake Hozuki for many miles, during the rainy season the lake flooded, causing vast swathes of land to be drenched in salt water. Only the hardiest trees survived, beyond the mangroves were the salt flats and then eventually normal forests resumed.

Shozagetsu considered all this land as Hozuki land and any Rogue Ninja brave enough or stupid enough to set foot on it deserved death. The Hozuki were like the mangroves, resilient and adaptable. They would endure, survive and outlast.

Yu had said that the Rogues had been travelling eastward but had not yet reached the salt flats though. Shozagetsu had decided that they would find them in the deciduous forests and establish the numbers. It wouldn't do to fight them on the flats, they were too open but if they sent words for reinforcements, the team could launch a series of guerilla attacks in the forests, flee back across the salt plains and lead the Rogue ninja into an ambush in the mangroves. In the mangroves the Hozuki were unstoppable, using the mist and salt water to full advantage with their hydrification technique.

The trio raced through the mangroves, leaping from the twisted thickets of wood, sailing through the damp air. Each was smiling, each had teeth filed to a deadly point. They were the pride of the Hozuki clan, the first line of defence and the shadows stalking the mangroves. The Marsh Mist Fiends.

* * *

Iax walked through the forest, the gruesome murder scene still bouncing around his head. He was trying to keep an eye out for the ghost like foot prints, but the trees had protected the forest floor from most of the rain. The ground was too hard to leave an impression in, it wasn't good for tracking.

The air was damper here; the Land of Waves was famed for its mist, it was gathering around his shins now. It had a certain ghostly beauty but Iax viewed it only as a hindrance, it concealed roots making the each step treacherous. He quickly leapt up into the branches above him and started travelling in true ninja fashion. Iax preferred walking really, it allowed him to process his surrounding more efficiently plus if ninja were to stray across him they might mistake him for a civilian with a sword. He enjoyed the looks of surprise when he cut them down.

Catching himself smiling cynically, Iax frowned. The world was harsh and he'd seen some of the worst of it. Homes in ruins, orphaned children, bloodthirsty maniacs. _'These days I'm not sure if I'm hunting one or I am one'_ He shook his great head, quickly ridding the thoughts. He took no pleasure in killing the weak, he reassured himself. Iax let out a sigh, ' _this will all be over soon. Then I'll hang my sword. But not until I've rammed it through his chest.'_

* * *

The Marsh Mist Fiends had intensified the mist with their chakra; they had crossed the salt plains without any hiccups and were now skulking through the deciduous forest. The sun had passed the noon mark a few hours ago, the days were getting shorter and the sun was losing its heat. Shozagetsu had drawn his kriss; he held each in a reverse grip ideal for slashing throats. Their wavy blades were dull grey and whilst the edges were a lighter silver, they almost saw toothed from parrying attacks. Fumiaki frowned at the state of ill repair

"You should take better care of those things. One day they are just going to snap and you'll be dead" Shozagetsu just smiled.

"Fumiaki dear, are you my mother? I mean I'm pretty certain you're not. My mother wasn't a fat troll but the way you're nagging me…" Shozagetsu's smile widened as he saw the flame of anger flare in his rival's eye.

"Fuck you" the deep voice responded.

"Nah fuck you" was hissed back.

"Shut up both of you!" Yu hissed. These two never knew when to quit, for all they knew the rogue ninja camp could be five meters away but they just had to have a little bicker. Shozagetsu sneered at his subordinates then quickly returned his attention to the hunt. Whilst the mist covered them it made tracking difficult, rendering sight nearly useless anyway the ground here was too dry for footprints. He turned to Yu, nodding quickly she jumped up into the branches of a tree.

She sank into a relaxed cross legged position placed both her hands in the bird seal and closed her lilac eyes. Yu moulded her chakra with the mist. She felt flickers of heat pop up around her, the mist working as a medium for her sensory jutsu. There wasn't much going on around them; pushing further she continued the search. Her eyes snapped open, wide with shock.

"Shoza…"

"Yeah?"

"Send word to HQ, we need the full jonin force and chuunin force."

"Ahhh I see" She couldn't see him in the mist below the tree but she could hear the toothy grin in his voice. _'Fucking nutjob.'_

* * *

Iax frowned; he'd reached a very strange part of the forest. Great strips of trees had been cut down; in their place were wide dirt tracks, the dirt churned up by hundreds of footprints. This was completely out of place, _"Not many villages around here. What could have caused this? … Ninja army"_ He stood in shock for a second. _'It's huge.'_

He kept to the tree line, leaping from branch to branch he started following the track. It wasn't wise, but he had to see this.

* * *

Shozagetsu grinned widely; they had found the 'camp'. It was more like a fortress. About a mile wide circle of trees had been chopped down, the largest trunks (great gigantic trees that even on their side stood fifteen feet high) had been used as walls, the earth behind the wall had been dug up to form a ditch, filled with stakes and what looked like oil. Behind the ditch the excavated earth, coloured the dark sticky red of clay, had been piled high to form embankments that were also peppered with stakes. The most impressive aspect though was the sheer number of ninja.

It wasn't some rogue troupe; they number easily over a hundred, probably closer to a thousand. Each ninja wore a uniform of plain black, their trousers taped around their ankles. Their hair was all cut to fine stubble; the only defining features they had was their choice of weapon, they were no longer ninja, they were too devoid of character to be ninja. Soldiers. It was a truly remarkable sight. A force like this could conquer the ninja world.

' _That is if they hadn't run into The March Mist Fiends'_ Shozagetsu giggled inwardly. He turned to his team-mates. "So! What d'ya thinks gang?"

"Asides from the fact you're insane not much boss" Fumiaki mumbled monotonously. Shozagetsu was too excited to go for the bait though; he flicked the hair out of his violet eyes. He had certain magnetism when he wanted to, his team groaned silently as they felt him switch on his charm.

"Guys, guys, guys, gu…"

"Get on with it"

"Shut up Fumiaki, we were sent here to do a job. Sure there's a few more than we thought there would be…"

"A few hundred more."

"Interrupt again Fumiaki dear, I dare you. Sure there are a lot of them, but even if the jonin and the chuunin forces came we'd still be out-numbered. It'd be a waste of Hozuki blood." He wagged his index finger at them knowingly. "However… If we stick to the original plan, we whittle these guys down a bit. We run away" he ran his index and middle fingers along the palm of his other hand to illustrate the point. "We could turn the tide just enough to win in the mangroves."

His machinations were greeted with silence.

He spread his arms "What d'ya says boys and girls?"

Fumiaki turned to Yu, "It's a death mission. Sounds fun."

Yu weighed the options; of course she was placed on a team bloodthirsty enough to think certain death escapades were 'fun'. But logically it was the best chance for the villages. She sighed emphatically "I suppose it could be a laugh" her tone dripping in sarcasm.

Smack! Shozagetsu slammed his fist into his other hands palm. "You guys are the best. Well Fumiaki's alright but we don't have time for that right now. ssh ssh" He placed an index finger of Fumiaki's mouth before his squat team mate could weigh in.

Turning, they faced the army's camp.

"Fumiaki?"

"Boss."

"Don't die until I'm there to finish you off"

"Fuck you"

"Nah Fuck…"

* * *

Toki stood watch; he was one of the newer recruit in the army. Having drawn the short straw for the evening, he was left shivering in the mist. Originally from the more temperate Land of Winds Toki hated the Land of Waves. It was miserable, if it wasn't raining it was misty, the air was too damp it got straight into his bones.

Pacing back and forth to warm up Toki muttered under his breath. Why were they even in the fucking country? Heading east? There was nothing but sea in the east, nobody crossed it. Not like the higher ups would explain it to a lowly chuunin though.

It had all been fun and games when they'd been sacking villages on the way here, but soon they were in a remote wilderness. The forest was ending as well, scouts had come back with stories of great salt plains.

' _I'm getting so drunk when my shifts over. I don't even care if I'm doing it alone.'_

Unfortunately Toki's shift didn't end as planned.

Shozagetsu loomed from the shadows behind him, violet eyes almost glowing in the mist. A kriss punched through the back of Toki's neck, his voice box destroyed by the blow. Toki fell to the floor screaming silently.

* * *

The Marsh Mist Fiends descended open the camp.

Fumiaki stood in the tree tops, his index finger pointing at a ninja strolling to the latrines. He slowly started cocking his thumb back _'Water Style: Water Gun Jutsu'_ His thumb snapped down like the hammer of a revolverA small droplet of water sped from the tip of his index finger and shot straight through the ninjas skull. Fumiaki smiled briefly, his heavy features lighting up with satisfaction.

Yu had slipped past the defences on the northern side of the camp; using the mist as cover she quietly slit the sentry's throat. Then creeping through the first set of tents, she liberally placed explosive tags on the resting places before leaping back into the surrounding tree line. She heard a faint chuckle as she left; Shozagetsu was still prowling the camp looking for sentries or a poor sod that was going to the toilet.

' _Sadists…'_ She groaned internally.

It was their classic formula for taking down rogue ninja encampments. Fumiaki stood at sniper, watching their backs. Shozagetsu took care of security whilst Yu set about sabotaging and setting up the wide spread destruction. That was just the start of it though, how they announced their presence. The explosion would signal the start of the free for all.

From her perch in an oak she saw Shozagetsu leap over the defences. He waved to Yu then stuck his middle finger up at Fumiaki. She saw Fumiaki start to cock his thumb back, sighing at her team mates shenanigans and figuring that as they weren't scrambling for safety they were obviously clear of the blast radius, she slapped her hands together "Kai!"

The Encampment exploded violently, a giant mushroom of flames raced up into the sky. The screams of wounded men and the roaring of the flames nearly drowned it out but Yu could faintly hear her team mates whooping with enthusiasm.

* * *

Iax had been following the track for a few hours now. The sun had set behind him as he leapt with ever increasing pace. He still couldn't figure out how many men made up this army. ' _Truly daunting. I wonder if the Wind style guy got mixed in with this lot.'_

Suddenly a huge explosion rocked the ground and fireball raced into the night sky. It was like a small sun that illuminated the misty woodlands. It was about three miles away.

A chilling grin grew on Iax face, his left hand reached up to the pommel of his sword.

' _Maybe you have to be a maniac to hunt maniacs…'_

* * *

Shozagetsu charged through the camp, blurring in and out of focus. He'd caught a cluster of panicking shinobi off-guard. The twin kriss slashed through two pair of Achilles tendons. Then spinning quickly he slashed the throats of two other ninja. Then as quick as he'd appeared he was gone, the immobilised ninja lay on the floor wailing in agony as their comrades blood pooled around them.

Skidding behind a tent the Hozuki Captain waited patiently. A ninja charged around the corner trying to head to his downed team mates. He didn't get very far though, a kriss plunged into his stomach. The other slid between his ribs before both were pull out forcefully.

' _18\. Fumiaki better be keeping up'_ Shozagetsu thought smugly. The kill count game was one of their favourites.

Meanwhile on the far side of the battleground Fumiaki was causing mayhem. In one hand his heavy single bladed axe in the other a whip formed out of water. He was taking on fifteen men at once, his deep bass voice bluntly pointing out their combat errors.

"Over extended" he quipped, side stepping to the right of a katana before hammering his axe into the man's knee. Stepping past him Fumiaki parried a spear thrust and used his water whip to pull out his assailant's feet from under him. "Foot work!" He stomped on the downed man's face. He heard it crunch and felt the man spasm beneath his boot. Fumiaki was forced to jump as a fireball shot at him; he avoided it narrowly but smiled as the enemies behind him were fried.

"Boy this is fun" He mumbled to himself. _'22! I'm counting those fireball kills.'_

Yu was taking a more relaxed approach to the assault. She knew the two boys would inevitably start playing the kill count game, so she took up a supporting role. Seeing the majority of ninja were now racing toward Fumiaki's position she was thinning out their numbers before they got to the squat pedant.

Her short spear had finally come out to play. It was a simple pole of steel with a sharpened end, brown leather bands were wrapped around the grip area and the other had a crescent moon blade. She, like Shozagetsu was an ambush fighter, hiding as a discreet puddle she would wait for ninja pass her. Three men did just that.

She sprang up and out of the puddle. Spinning her spear above her head rapidly. She felt the crescent moon blade tug through a man's neck, the kill confirmed by the spray of lifeblood splashing on her cheeks. Landing gracefully she parried a kunai, holding her spear like a quarterstaff. She quickly kicked the ninja in the fork of his legs. He dropped groaning as she span to face his ally. He was half way through a set of seals when the point of the spear punched through his left eye. As he dropped lifelessly and Yu turned to face the last man. He was dribbling and clutching at his groin.

"I wish you could see the funny side of this." Yu remarked before finishing him off.

* * *

Fumiaki spun the whip around his head. He fed more chakra into it, letting it grow. He managed to drive the swarming ninja back but they had formed a circle around him now. It didn't look good.

' _Consider this a big fuck you, boss!'_ He chuckled at his own joke.

The ninja looked at him hungrily; they would soon spot an opening. However Fumiaki still had one trick up his sleeve. He charged. A wall of weaponry rose to meet him, but he just smirked. And ran straight into it… the weapons harmlessly splashed through him as he became water. Reforming within the ninjas guard he laughed hysterically and started hacking through the shinobi.

"HE'S A HOZUKI!" A ninja managed to shout the warning before Fumiaki's heavy axe decapitated him. He just chuckled at the futility.

"Of course I am." He parried another attack and locked eyes with the ninja. "You're on our land."

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Friends & Fiends

Yu hefted her spear, slinking away from the pile of corpses she had just made. The Rogue ninja encampment was starting to get quiet. There were bodies everywhere, vast craters gathered condensation from the ever present mist and tents blazed merrily in the crisp autumn evening. Yu was hunting for the next batch of ninja but it was proving to be quite difficult. ' _Surely we haven't wiped them all out?'_ the enemies' numbers had been vast! The Marsh Mist Fiends had certainly done some damage and if they had finished them off it was good news but Yu was wary of not sticking to the plan. The Fiends were only supposed to be doing guerrilla strikes, but it looked like once again they'd got a bit carried away… If they overextended now and got killed by their careless bloodlust it would leave their forces in the mangroves vulnerable. Yu crouched behind a leaning tent, gathered her chakra before fusing it with the ghostly mist that had swirled around the gruesome battlefield.

She found Shozagetsu's chakra easily enough; it seemed he had just wiped out another team judging by the fading energy signatures around him. As usual his chakra presence was an ever changing enigma, cold to warm, sinister to fierce loyalty. _'The man's probably schizoid'_ Yu mused to herself before she pushed the chakra laden mist further through the campsite it was cold and empty. She started to worry. There were no ninja in the entire eastern half of the camp, the Marsh Mist Fiends had not killed anywhere near that number. '… _Fumiaki'_

Yu sprang from her crouched position, the dilapidated tents and blood churned mud blurring around her. Shozagetsu would not be happy about this; he had dibs on Fumiaki after all.

* * *

Shozagetsu yanked one of his kriss out of the still twitching body of his opponent. The ninja's eyes were starting to glaze over. Shozagetsu leaned down to him; his sharpened teeth looked feral in the dim light.

"There there dear" Shozagetsu patted him playfully on the cheek "You fought well" The ninja frowned slowly before his jaw fell slack.

Pushing a bloody lock of hair out of his eyes Shozagetsu caught a glimpse of himself in a puddle; the razor sharp smile grew larger. A true Marsh Mist Fiend, a horror to behold, his purple shirt was stained dark and his usually brilliant white hair was a dull gory red.

The surrounding area was littered with bodies, Shozagetsu sighed heavily, "not a single ninja above chuunin level" he considered aloud "Their numbers are impressive but the quality is lacking" He turned his head to the left, nodding to acknowledge the arrival of his lieutenant.

"What is it Yu? You know you're falling behind on the kill count game…"

"Shoza, Fumiaki…"

She flinched as he spun quickly, his violet eyes were furious as he figured out what she had been about to say in a heartbeat.

"The bastard's trying to get himself killed again. He knows I won't stand for that!" Shozagetsu howled. "Which fucking way!?"

Yu barely managed to point before the leader of the Marsh Mist Fiends had disappeared from sight. She stood stock still amongst the wreckage, taking a moment to realise what she had just unleashed.

' _Makes for good entertainment when he's this pissed though…'_

* * *

Fumiaki was tiring rapidly but his usually glum features were lit by a brilliant (if a bit bloodthirsty) smile. The pale blue coat he wore was in bloody tatters now, his hydrification ability having worn out a while ago. _'I seem to have caught their attention'_ he though smugly. It appeared the whole encampment was surrounding him now. His treasured axe was held loosely in his battle stained hand, a rivulet of blood was flowing down his arm and dripping off his bruised knuckles. With every movement he could feel each one of his injuries, the shallow slash down his back and the puncture wound in his axe arm were particularly painful. The water whip he'd once wielded had been discarded due to the high chakra cost, he didn't need it anyway, he wasn't expecting to get out of this.

The enemy had formed a cautious ring around him, none willing to take the lead against the squat Hozuki. Their eyes were wide, fearfully watching the man that had been killing indiscriminately for the best part of three hours now, not only that but reinforcements had slowly dwindled to halt, someone was helping him. They were the last... The rogues watched him shift his feet carefully; the ground was now littered with bodies and soaked with blood making it slick and untrustworthy, they all tensed at his slight movement. Fumiaki noticed the fearful anticipation of his attack; he threw his head back letting his booming laughter echo loudly, his heavy feature positively glowing with a wicked glee. The silver rings piercing the bridge of his nose glittered in the light of the burning tents matching the evil glow of his indigo eyes.

"Come on guys" Fumiaki panted "finish what you started" He span his axe in a couple of lazy circles then took a heavy step forward. His movements had slowed remarkably and for the first time the rogue ninja could spot openings in his defences. Yet his cheery brashness suggested that there were still some tricks up his sleeve.

"Well if you won't come to me…" Fumiaki violent coughed up some blood "I'll come to you. Aren't I a nice guy?" He took another step before staggering slightly to the left, a ninja behind him seized the opportunity leaping forward with a curved dagger in hand. Fumiaki's feet suddenly righted themselves; he danced nimbly away from the thrust before pivoting and swinging his axe violently into the assailant's skull. The ninja dropped like a broken puppet. Fumiaki took another single step to where he had originally been. His movements had been incredibly efficient; they had to be if he was going to take the bastards with him.

"I think you'll be more successful if you coordinate" He goaded in a sinister whisper, the clearing was quiet. He raised a white eyebrow; there was a hesitation in the air. Had he truly terrified them that badly? In fact it suddenly crossed his mind that no one in the encampment had been particularly experienced. _'How on earth have these guys been sacking villages? A platoon of regular jonin could deal with them in a heartbeat…'_ The only thing keeping the rogues in the fight was their overwhelming numbers.

The spell over the rogue ninja broke suddenly. The ring of men, about 100 strong, advanced.

Fumiaki let out a bloodcurdling wail and met them head on.

Ducking beneath a broadsword he parried a following spear thrust. Then with two rapid flicks of his axe he beheaded both attackers, abruptly spinning 360 degrees to knock away a hail of shruiken before leaping vertically and speeding through hand seals.

' _Bird, monkey, dragon, horse!'_ "Water Style: Torrential Spite" A jet of water exploded from his mouth, ripping through the already saturated ground. The force of the water pushed him higher into the air helping him avoid another volley of shruiken. He saw the five attacking rogue ninja crumple like paper beneath the pressure of the attack, but the other assailants were already counter attacking. They were leaping from tree branches to catch him in the air.

Somehow managing to twist his stomach away from a probing spear Fumiaki started free falling back to earth. Twisting again to stabilise himself he caught sight of a boulder breaking free from the ground and start flying towards him. _'That's going to hurt…'_ he grimly set his guard, unable to avoid it.

The impact broke his left arm in three places. Then when he landed in a heap on the floor his femur fractured messily. Fumiaki's face remained stoic, none of the agony he was experiencing was displayed on his features; he could hear feet rushing towards him so with great willpower he managed to sit up. _'Ahh fuck! That hurts. Hope they do this quick, be best if I'm dead before boss gets here. No telling how pissed he's gonna be…'_ Fumiaki painfully turned his head, casually taking in the remaining rogue ninja.

' _Haha we've nearly killed them all… At least I don't have to help with the clean-up!'_ Once again the rogues formed a ring around him, a single man stepped forward. There was a small red patch on his left shoulder that seemed to mark him as something more than a grunt. The squat Hozuki met the eye of the lead ninja, the man looked like a fucking coward. Fumiaki could tell he was unnerving his soon to be executioner, the man had lifted a katana but was trying not to look at his prey.

"Look at me." Fumiaki's voice was calm but cold, he didn't sound like a man staring death in the face. "What are you afraid of boy? Kill me" The ninja looked up at him.

"I'm not afraid Hozuki, I'm just figuring out how long I can draw this out."

"Hohohoho, phew I thought I was going to have to talk you through your first kill for a second. Well don't let me distract you anymore." Fumiaki slumped back on to the floor with a wide smile. The worst this man could hurt him would be nothing compared to what Shozagetsu did during their 'play fights', Fumiaki's smile slipped. So it was going to be a second rate death after a second rate fight?

The great and perilous Fumiaki, was to be cut down in the mud by some substandard rogues? Didn't sound like the ending he'd imagined, as much as he'd always tried to deny his boss the pleasure of killing him, the idea had a certain romance to it. Two eternal rivals finally testing their true strengths…

' _Well that settles it then'_ Fumiaki's executioner stepped forward, making to kick him in his broken leg. The kick never connected. Instead the executioner found his foot clasped in a vice like grip, the joints in his ankle popped and grated before he was tugged from his feet. Fumiaki twisted himself off the ground then fell on top of him, his one working arm systematically breaking bones. When the man stopped screaming Fumiaki turned his dreadlocked head towards the rest of the rogues.

"I'm not quite ready to die yet…" The words were spoken with a conviction that scared the rogues. Even in the cold autumn evening those words were colder still. They were like a wintry gust that chilled the rogue ninja to the bone. Whilst the sentence had been about preserving life, it only suggested that others would end. This man was truly terrifying.

Fumiaki tried to pick up his fallen axe but his broken leg bent agonisingly, falling back to the floor he lifted his head to look at the rogue ninja. His dreadlocks were matted with thick sticky mud, his violet eyes had lost some of their vibrant colour. The very life in them seemed to be fading away despite his bold statement. But still the rogue ninja seemed hesitant to approach, the man he'd just massacred with his bare hand had been their captain, if he could do that to their leader what would this Hozuki do to them?

As the severely diminished army cautiously evaluated him, Fumiaki noticed a slight change in the air. The enemy had noticed nothing but Fumiaki knew the signs. _'More moisture. Here comes Boss...'_ The air indeed seemed damper; a thin layer of mist was creeping up on the remaining rogue ninja. As it slowly surrounded them Fumiaki's keen senses felt chakra being fed into it, growing thicker and thicker the mist ensnared the rogues.

The rogues were starting to notice now, but it was too late.

Shozagetsu appeared in their midst, he was in a low crouch with both kriss held in his favoured reverse grip. He was the vision on death, covered head to toe in blood, his once pristine snowy hair dishevelled and rusty red.

"You lot would be unaware but that man and I have history." Shozagetsu hissed his sibilant voice sinister in the now eerie quiet of the camp. "I'm the one who gets to kill him, anyone else who harms a hair on his head… ooooo that makes me angry."

Shozagetsu seemed to lean forward slightly; it was an unsteady movement that made it impossible to predict where he was going next. That was the last time the rogues laid eyes on him.

He disappeared and bodies started to drop.

* * *

Yu watched from the mist, it was a sight to behold. The captain rarely pushed himself, he normally enjoyed killing too much to do it quickly but when he lost his temper… Even to Yu's trained eyes he was nothing but a blur, zigzagging between the enemies. Before the first body had hit the floor three more were dead, it was almost sickening. She switched her gaze to Fumiaki, he looked bad. A lot of blood was gathering around him and she could see the off white of bone poking out of his thigh.

She cast her eyes back to the carnage; one rogue that had tried to run away had been gracefully hamstringed then left to bleed out, his moans melded with screams of his comrades, a twisted symphony orchestrated by a sadist. _'Shoza sure can be cruel… '_ The remaining ninja, a paltry 6, tried to rally into a defensive position but it was fruitless. There was a flash of bloody steel and six headless carcasses fell to the floor.

Shozagetsu appeared again in a similar low crouch to before, it was almost like he'd never moved. Beneath the knotted dirty hair Yu could see his violet eyes glittering with malice. _'Pervert, I bet his trousers are pretty tight right now…'_ Shozagetsu rose from his haunches spitting onto a nearby body.

"My kill prick." He motioned for Yu to join him in the bloodbath "Yu can you patch Fumiaki up?"

"Dunno Shoza that leg is beyond me. I can stop the bleeding but we need to get him back to some real medics"

Fumiaki was looking at the two blearily "Stop talking like I'm not here" he grunted exasperatedly "Let's get out of here!" His two team mate strolled over, his bloodied state apparently not fazing them. Shozagetsu cocked his head before booting Fumiaki's broken arm.

"What did I say about you trying to get yourself killed?"

"grrhhh! Don't do it"

"Because it seems like you forgot that."

"Fuck you"

"Nah f…."

All three ninja flinched suddenly, Shozagetsu and Yu raising their weapons towards a new figure that'd just landed. A giant of a man with a great sword strapped to his shoulders, a moss green cloak swirled from the momentum of his movements and his face was stern but noble. He stood ignoring the bloodshed surrounding him, eyeing the trio before him prudently.

It wasn't like the Fiends to get caught unawares. Judging from his stance and the way he moved… ' _this man must have some skill'_ Yu observed ' _More skill than anyone in this camp…'_ The giant stepped forward into the light made by the burning campsite with his hands raised in a placating manner. He sized up the team carefully.

"You killed them all." It was a blunt statement made in a deep voice, the voice was not warm but neither was it devoid of emotion. "I don't mean any harm; I'm not part of the army. I just thought you might find the information I have valuable."

* * *

 _Two hours earlier_

Iax watched the camp from the cover of the treeline; three ninja had attacked the encampment; two were using ambush methods whilst one appeared to be luring the majority of their enemies' forces to him. Iax watched a particularly clean kill by the axe wielder, noting the skill and efficiency of his movements.

' _These guys are good. I was expecting more from this army however… they don't appear to be any stronger than chuunin.'_ Iax circled the camp surveying the widespread destruction. The numbers were starting to add up against the axe wielder _'I don't know about him but that would really hurt my ego, going down to second rate ninja'_

After circling the camp Iax came to rest were he could watch the man with twin kriss, he was on another level to the axe wielder. His motions were fluid, instinctual; he was like poetry in motion. The kriss wielder rolled beneath a naginata sprang to his feet parried six shruiken with the pommel of his kriss and then cut down two men in a single strike. The action nearly had Iax yelling in excitement. _'I would love to fight him…'_

Iax was broken from his reverie by the sounds of stealthy creeping to his left. Eyeing the forest in that direction, he surreptitiously slid a hand to the concealed pocket in his cloak. When he'd arrived at the camp he'd made all the necessary checks, the army had all been with in the defences of the camp no sentries had been patrolling the outer perimeter.

Moving along the bough of the oak he was on and climbing up the adjacent ash Iax gained some height. Taking care not to disturb the yellowing leaves he leapt silently into the next tree. Looking down from his leafy vantage point he spotted the origin of the noise. A group of three ninja, dressed in the same attire as the ninja being massacred in the encampment. They were convening in hushed whispers.

"Goro listen to me!" hissed a brown haired ninja "If we don't act quick we're going to lose this whole division!"

"Yugoro you fail to understand. Look at those ninja, if we joined in we'd just join the pile of bodies. One division of chuunin is no big sacrifice. Matsu return to headquarters and inform them of these developments. Yugoro and I will keep watch."

Matsu, a rangy looking ninja, nodded once before using shunshin. Iax frowned ' _so this isn't the entirety of the army…'_ Iax weighed his options. ' _I don't know that trio down there… they're likable though, it takes balls to attack like they do... They might have additional information on the army too. That settles it.'_

Stepping from his viewpoint Iax appeared amongst the two army ninja. A kunai appeared from his cloak and was whipped across Goro's throat before he could react. Yugoro was next to feel the daggers steel. Iax pushed the bodies to the forest floor. It appeared the fight below was finishing up; the kriss wielder was cutting down the opponents who'd injured his friend in frenzy like manner. _'I'll let him clean up. Don't want to get caught in that…'_

* * *

"… So ultimately I would advise getting out of here." Iax finished relaying his Intel. The team before him didn't show any signs of worry or fear. _'Proper professionals these guys'_ Iax grinned. The lady named Yu turned to the kriss wielder, who was using the point of his weapon to get some stubborn grit out from under his nail.

"Captain if this man is telling the truth we do need to get out of here." Her voice was business like.

"I know Yu dear, but if… sorry your name?"

Iax locked eyes with the bloodied captain "Iax... yours?"

"Shozagetsu, remember it, well anyway if this is all true I don't see us getting Fumiaki out alive" Fumiaki, who had been leaned against a tree trunk, shrugged nonchalantly.

"ehh what you gonna do?" His bass tones calm as ever, his cloudy indigo eyes staring off into the distance. Iax evaluated the squat man; he really didn't seem to mind. Shozagetsu on the other hand looked pissed off.

"Fumiaki dear, don't give up yet. I'll find a way." The sweet words were not sincere being hissed through shark like teeth. Iax watched awkwardly as the team of three exchanged glances, they seemed close. It was going to be difficult leaving a team mate behind.

"Look Boss, I'm done. I can feel it, I'm sorry. But you need to get back to villages, remember the spiel about protecting the ninja world's future?" The injured Hozuki grumbled away, he wasn't looking at his captain, he seemed more interested in the thigh bone protruding from his thigh.

"Shut up!" Shozagetsu snapped viciously "Don't do the heroic sacrifice shit; it really doesn't suit a prick like you."

"mmmm whatever boss" Fumiaki grumbled tiredly "I'll keep the reinforcements busy here. I'll make the ultimate sacrifice…" He finished with a sardonic smirk. Shozagetsu spluttered, hands twitching on his kriss. Yu however strode over and knelt tenderly next to her friend.

"Fumiaki, how do you intend to do that?" It was a question Iax had been asking himself.

"You know Yu. I still got my trump card" He reached up with his working arm, placing it heavily on her shoulder. "I'll miss you the most"

"You know I don't do pity fucks Fumiaki. How many times does a girl have to say no?" Fumiaki chuckled, bloody teeth flashing in the burning camps light.

"Just one more time Yu" She took his hand from her shoulder.

"Not now Fumiaki. Take care and leave some for us."

"I'll see how I feel about that." Fumiaki muttered before raising a hand in the seal of confrontation. Iax felt his chakra spike, great waves of energy started flowing off the stocky ninja.

"What's he doing?" Iax asked cautiously, he turned to face the other two Hozuki but they were already running. "Hey!"

"You coming or what big guy?" Yu yelled over her shoulder as she and Shozagetsu fled for the tree line. Both were travelling at break neck speed, Iax lunged after them building up momentum until he was flying along next to them, leaping from branch to branch the trees nothing but green shapes.

"What's your team mate doing? He can't fight in that state." Iax questioned Yu, feeling she was the level headed member of the team.

"Steaming Danger Tyranny." The response was deadly serious.

Iax took note of her expression "Some kind of jutsu…?"

"It was the second Mizukage's ultimate jutsu. An oil and water based clone that is invulnerable to damage and capable of moving at incredible speeds. It moves around striking opponents the oil growing hotter until the water evaporates causing it to explode… In a nutshell" Iax shrugged indifferently.

"I've heard of worse. It's basically the exploding clone jutsu…"

"You don't understand though, when the steam from the explosion rises it turns to hail which cools the clone causing it to reform. The jutsu is also known as the infinite explosion technique." Yu cut him off.

"Arrrgggghhh!" Shozagetsu howled, landing on a branch and halting suddenly. The other two stopped as well, caught off-guard by the outburst. The captain was slamming a bloody fist into the trunk of a tree, causing the bark to shatter; he turned to the other two. "I wanted to kill him" He whined irritatingly. Yu shook her head in disbelief before turning to Iax.

"Iax, we're returning to our village now. You will accompany us; we need more Intel on this 'army'." Her tone was, once again, business like. "I'll warn you now, attempting anything that will harm the village or its inhabitants will result in your death."

Iax smiled sadistically, the woods grew cold as Yu and Shozagetsu's killing intent was unleashed. "Yeah I didn't have any intention of causing trouble. I did think you'd be informing me about the army to be honest." He rubbed the back of his neck in an petulant fashion. "Oh well whatever, I'm sure we'll find out more when the rest of the army reveals itself."

Yu nodded quickly, her white fringe falling gently over her face. As she brushed her snowy hair away from her eyes Iax noticed them welling with a mixture of emotions. She was obviously trying to hide those feelings so he didn't acknowledge them. _'I'm guessing losing that teammate isn't sitting to well with her'_

In the distance there was a huge explosion followed by a faint trickling noise of falling hail. The three ninja turned westerly, there was a pause of about three minutes then another explosion rocked the forest. Fumiaki's final fight had begun.

"It's just not fair." Shozagetsu muttered huskily, his hand still buried in the tree trunk. His tangled hair was shielding his violet eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Evaluation

The trio made their way back towards the Hozuki villages. The night had closed without any further trouble; the new day was just as icy however. The forests started to thin and Iax was greeted by the empty salt flats. Cold winds whipped over the gritty plains, driving slate grey clouds across the sky. The swordsman felt the dark moods emanating from his new travelling companions; Yu was jogging methodically her face blank whilst Shozagetsu seemed murderous. He was leading the group at an erratic pace that relayed the aggressive mood swings he was subjected to.

Iax merely kept the pace and his silence. He had not known Fumiaki but from what he'd seen on the battlefield the man was a valued member of the team. Even if Shozagetsu had been hell bent on killing him...

Abruptly Shozagetsu turned to face the swordsman. He was directly in front of Iax, his body language was confrontational. "Iax, I appreciate the Intel but I really see no point in you returning to the village with us. We need to prepare for the rest of the rogue and you will only get in the way." His violet eyes clashed with his still bloody hair, they were full of fury and bloodlust.

Iax stopped; his green eyes met the violet of the captain. The aura coming from the Hozuki's elite was ominous but Iax held his ground. Shifting his feet in the grit to find purchase, Iax nodded quickly. He didn't want to fight the Hozuki, he'd seen him in battle and Iax tried to steer clear of fights that were uncertain.

"I get where you're coming from Shozagetsu, but I'm going to be more of help than hindrance" he spoke in measured tones. The captain was acting erratically, Iax didn't want to get killed over something as stupid as raising his voice.

"You're just a rogue with a big sword. The Hozuki have no need for amateurs" the response came in an aggressive hiss. "And I don't trust you." It was blunt, Iax could appreciate it though.

"Shozagetsu I want to help."

"Why? What the fuck do you get out of this" Iax saw Yu flinch at her captains raised voice. The air was full of malice now. Iax sighed inwardly.

"I'm looking for a man. I don't really want to get into the reasons why, but I'm going to kill him. His trail disappeared within the army's tracks. That's why." The wind whistled over the wastelands causing Iax's cloak to billow dramatically. The tense silence was held for over a minute as Shozagetsu's piercing eyes held the swordsman's resolute gaze.

"Now that is something I can get behind!" Shozagetsu crowed loudly before breaking into a cackle. In his peripheral Iax saw Yu's shoulders relax, the Hozuki captain strode over and slapped Iax firmly on the shoulder. "Bit more than meets the eye ya big lump!" Shozagetsu turned suddenly, waving his hand forward lazily "move out, double pace."

* * *

The Hozuki forces had been temporarily moved from the mangroves, whilst the most experienced of them proceeding to scout out the army, the rest were sent ahead to the villages to "Prepare a hero's welcome" by Shozagetsu's demand. Iax could understand the logic behind the reshuffle; the Hozuki could not risk meeting their enemies' in the mangroves without an idea of their numbers. The prognosis wasn't good, with the division the Fiends had wiped out numbering around a thousand and the amount of divisions within the army being unknown… However the Hozuki seemed well drilled and eager, it looked like they fought certain death battles everyday.

"I see your clansmen share a lot of your characteristics Shozagetsu." Iax acknowledged his eyebrows raised uneasily as a couple of young ninja sprinted off chatting animatedly about disembowelling techniques.

"Yeah they have good role models" The Captains response was accompanied by a maniacal grin.

Iax had been led from the mangroves to the first of the Hozuki villages, it was magnificent. A towering wall protected the western, northern and southern flanks of the settlement the eastern perimeter was a huge harbour that led onto the salt water lake. When Iax asked Yu if the open east side left them vulnerable she started laughing hysterically "Who could beat the Hozuki Clan on a lake?" The walls themselves were made of white granite that was coarse and resilient. This was entirely different to the villages Iax had seen before; it would not go down easily.

Looking over to Shozagetsu Iax could see a fierce pride burning in the man's eyes. Still wearing the gore of the battlefield like some badge of honour Shozagetsu marched self-importantly up to the village's great gate. He raised a hand to knock but it was already opening for him.

"See that Iax, a hero's welcome!" The Captain bragged loudly. Iax rolled his eyes _'You don't look like a hero…'_ The trio marched through the gate; the giant swordsman was immediately overwhelmed by the life and vibrancy of the village. Everywhere there were people getting on with their lives in the safety of the settlements walls. No blood, no solitude, genuine happiness pervaded the air. It was an alien world. Iax's shock must have been evident in his face because Yu nudged him in the ribs.

"Shut your mouth you'll catch flies, it's quite something though right? The old timers are always telling us this is what it was like before the Downfall. Buuut I don't know anything about that. Let's get out of here; it's not a pretty sight when his ego gets stroked." He followed the direction of her scowl and saw Shozagetsu surrounded by a throng of admirers; head thrown back in laughter, his bloody hair looked horrific in the light of the morning sun.

Iax followed Yu through the crowded streets that buzzed with chatter; each of the buildings was made of the same white granite, colourful signs made Iax's eyes dance and the smells of delicious foods permeated the air he breathed. His size made it difficult to navigate the throngs but he didn't mind, this village was like a paradise. It was like the world outside these walls didn't exist, he could be someone else here. An absent part of his mind dreamed of the quiet life, maybe a little fishing boat to take out on the lake or a stall selling odd trinkets. However a cold sharp part of his brain methodically reminded him of reality _'Shinji…'_ The quiet life could never be his whilst that man breathed.

Yu was leading him through a maze of alleys now, each bazaar like with colourful awnings and aromatic spices toasting over braziers. They came to a halt at a non-descript little shop, opening the small wooden door she motioned for him to follow, the smell that came from inside was enticing causing Iax to quickly duck through the door frame after her. Yu turned to him with a contented smile on her face "This! This place is the best restaurant in the western village! They do a Nikujaga that is incredible!" Iax smiled at her enthusiasm, she appeared thrilled about the prospect of this food. Iax could understand if the smell was anything to go by but the display was a bit… forced.

They sat down in a booth in the corner of the shop; Iax comically squeezing in before they rested their weapons against a nearby wall, as always within reach. A waitress quickly took their order before leaving them to their own devices. Iax was contentedly taking in the atmosphere of the restaurant but when he turned back to Yu here face was the same blank mask she'd worn on their journey over the salt plains. Iax swallowed slowly, he didn't really want to get into this. The silence was just about to get awkward when their food arrived. Ecstatic about the timely service which Iax was incredibly thankful for, he snatched up his chopsticks then he chucked some of the fragrant beef stew into his mouth with a smooth practised motion. It was delicious and the rice served to thicken it into a hearty meal. Lifting his head from the steaming bowl he smiled awkwardly at Yu "it's delightful". Yu was sat staring at her bowl, she had not even picked up her chopsticks.

"I never really liked it here." She whispered quietly, her eyes were looking downwards into her lap, he thought she might be hiding tears for a second but the violet orbs were cold. "This was Fumiaki's favourite place, Shozagetsu refused to come here after missions so I would tag along to keep Fumiaki company. The stews too rich for my taste so he would eat mine afterwards." Yu continued stonily. Iax stirred the contents of his bowl slowly, why had Yu brought him here? The Fiends were such a professional outfit he hadn't expected to see the human side to them, on the battlefield that would only constitute as weakness.

"Yu…" Iax started cautiously.

"I don't want your sympathy wanderer; it's not why I brought you here. This place is a tradition; it's what Fumiaki would have done. I just brought you along for company…" Iax remained silent not knowing how he was supposed to proceed. "Have you ever lost a team mate?" The question caught him off-guard. Yu's head had lifted; her lilac eyes had a metallic glint to them. _'What the fuck does this girl want?'_

"I was never part of a team" The answer was blunt. Yu continued to look him in the eye. She knew that the swordsman was holding back. The conversation between him and her captain had revealed more than he'd wanted it to. Seeing as she was not dropping her gaze Iax picked his words carefully trying to close out this unexpected topic of conversation. "I have lost people though. My master died when I was young, that's why I wander."

Yu's eyes flashed perceptively "The man you're hunting killed your master?"

The table wobbled dangerously as Iax placed an open palm on it heavily. "I don't want to talk about it" he snarled between gritted teeth, the words were full of venom but they were barely louder than a whisper. "My past has very little to with you, so you can stop with the fucking interrogation. There isn't some deep story of redemption here. I'm just out for blood. " The kunoichi didn't flinch from the quiet outburst.

"Iax I don't care about your past, or the little soap opera that seems to be your life. I was illustrating a point." She snapped bitterly.

"Do explain" Iax said with a hint of sarcasm. His demeanour had calmed but the set of his jaw showed he was still angry about the intrusion.

"The Hozuki are ninja foremost. Revenge isn't a hobby to us; we don't do profound counselling sessions where we all hold hands at the end. This meal is a war drum to let Fumiaki know we're going to finish the job we started. I just wanted to check you had a spine because when you join the Hozuki forces you'll be fighting alongside the devil.' She stood and dropped a small purse of coins on the table before striding out of the shop.

Iax was left looking confused _'Women'_

* * *

 _3 Hours Later_

The first of the scouts had started to return, Iax stood in a small simple room with a table in the centre. A map had been spread over the surface and had an elder talking heatedly with a scout over it. Shozagetsu was lounging on the chair to Iax's right; Yu had taken a solemn position by the window. She had not spoken about their early talk; Iax assumed they never would, in fact the way she had been pointedly ignoring him suggested they probably wouldn't speak again. _'Fine by me'_ he thought gruffly.

Iax glanced down at Shozagetsu "Why am I here Hozuki?" he whispered out the side of his mouth "I'm just a hired sword. Not a military advisor" Shozagetsu giggled quietly into his hand. He appeared to be enjoying the young swordsman's discomfort.

"You think I give a shit about tactics Wanderer? They wanted you here because you saw the army."

Iax shook his head in annoyance. _'I could be doing far more useful things than this'_ Shozagetsu turned his head and looked at him appraisingly. Quickly getting to his feet he placed a pale hand on Iax's shoulder. "Old man!" he yelled at the elder.

"Shozagetsu…" came the weary reply. Iax noted that he wasn't the only one that found Shozagetsu's exuberance annoying.

"I want to… evaluate… this wanderer. If he's going to be fighting in my team I want to make sure he can cut the mustard." Iax wasn't sure he liked the way Evaluate had been said.

The old man sighed then nodded slowly "Yes, just be careful Shozagetsu, if Sozen's reports" he gestured to the scout perusing the map "are accurate we're going to need all available ninja." Shozagetsu beamed a mouthful of shark like teeth at the elder before steering Iax out of the room. Yu held her position by the window.

"Is Yu coming?" Iax asked as he was frogmarched down a corridor before being shoved out into the village streets. The skies had cleared of clouds leaving behind eggshell blues, the seasonal air was crisp and a firm breeze was blowing over the lake. The villagers seemed to be revelling in the early autumn sun, Iax spotted a couple of kid flying kites, their high pitched whoops made the corners of his mouth twitch. _'This place will make me soft.'_

"Nah she's probably still sulking about Fumiaki, I think she fancied him" Shozagetsu quipped in an offhand manner breaking Iax from his musings.

"You don't seem that cut up about it" Iax responded eyeing the sociopath with a firm look.

The shorter man looked up into his face with a sinister smile "I think I've found a new plaything…"

* * *

The two ninja stood on the gently cresting surface of the lake, their feet giving off a faint blue aura. Shozagetsu had opened a small scroll and summoned his twin kriss before casually circling the giant swordsman. Iax mimicked his footwork so they were both making loose circles over the lake.

"So Iax, you have been submitted to be an honorary member of the Marsh Mist Fiends. How do you feel?" Iax only grunted in response. "Fair enough, you do understand however that the Fiends are THE best of THE best and thus must be subjected to a rigorous skills test. Namely a quick spar with yours truly" Shozagetsu smirked. "If I deem you worthy you shall join the team, get to taste first blood in battle and between you and me it only helps with the ladies" The final statement was followed by a cringe worthy wink.

"Alright, what requirements would make me worthy in your eyes Shozagetsu?" Iax asked bluntly _'Let's get this over and done with'_.

"I love your confidence young man" Shozagetsu simpered "to be worthy in my eyes. You just have to survive."

Shozagetsu leapt forward Kriss whirling in his hands.

Iax's sword was drawn from its sheathe in a smooth motion that was faster than blinking. He parried the wavy blades before flipping backward to make some space to counter. Iax landed smoothly but when he looked up the Captain had disappeared. _'Shit'_ instinctively he parried a strike that was too fast to see then leapt into the air just in time to avoid the captain bursting out the water below him.

A flicker of movement in his peripheral warned him just in time to stop a kriss from beheading him. He didn't see the knee however; it crunched into his ribs and drove him explosively below the surface of the lake. Iax was in trouble, he knew enough about the Hozuki that this was a bad position to be in. The water's current suddenly strengthened and started dragging him deeper at an alarming rate. Looking all around for something to help him he saw that water surrounding him had a face, with a set of shark like teeth. _'The hydrification jutsu!"_ Iax slowed his racing thoughts; he was starting to slow down now. The surface of the lake was at least thirty feet up _'there is a way out of this. I just need to rationalise'_

 _Flashback_

 _Iax thrashed violently in the leg lock his master had put him in. He was pinioned beneath his sensei's knee, his teacher gripping his ankle in a vice like hand. Twisting his head around, he caught the dispassionate look on his master's face. They'd been like this for five minutes now; Shinji had grown bored of laughing from the side-lines and had wandered off to find some food._

" _Will you surrender now Iax?" His master said his characteristic deep drawl._

" _NO!" Iax howled back, the pain from the leg-lock intensified and he wailed loudly._

" _Good, a weak will never got a ninja anywhere. However you must back up this will with strength and cunning. Both of which you are in short supply of." Iax wriggled painfully but could not slip his masters hold. "Remember Iax when an enemy has you pinned, that is when they least expect the counter."_

 _The words bounced around Iax's skull. Strength and Cunning…_

 _Flashback Ends_

Iax snapped his eyes open, _'What strength do I have over Shozagetsu? None… Wait he's never seen me fight. I guess he might figure I'm mainly kenjutsu based...'_ Iax looked down; they were still in the shallows of the lake. He could faintly make out the stone bed below _'I guess I have earth style over him! But the bottom of the lake is still too far away… he'll see an attack coming… No I can't think like that there is always a way out.'_

Iax slapped his hands into the snake seal, his vision was starting to flicker _'This will need to be quick!'_ A boulder ripped free of the lake bed, hurtling up towards the Shozagetsu's grinning face. It sailed right through his liquid form… as Iax had planned. The jutsu had only been to provoke the volatile Hozuki and it worked. Iax suddenly felt the water grip him again driving him down to the bottom of the lake. He slammed into the stone, his mind absently noticing it was the same white granite that made up the majority of the villages structures.

' _Going to plan so far'_ Iax was fighting the desperate urge to inhale _'If it's going to work it needs to work now! Doton: Embossing Stalagmite Jutsu!'_ He slammed his hands back into the snake seal forcing vast amounts of his chakra through it. A ten foot circle cracked into the lake bed then burst free as a huge pillar of stone. Iax raced towards the surface, bursting free of the lake. He had no time to rest however, kicking himself back to his feet he set about fortifying his small earthen island. "Doton: Earth Wall jutsu!" The wall formed just in time to block a giant water dragon.

"Doton: Hiding in the Surface jutsu" Using the cover of the wall Iax slid into the ground in a ghost like fashion. Whilst he was safe within his stone he could not attack or predict his enemy's movements, with this in mind he start moulding his vast chakra reserve for one final assault. There was a rocking explosion, the entire pillar shook with the force. Shozagetsu was going to come looking for him sooner or later. _'I think he's got a bit carried away…'_ Steeling himself for the chaos that would surely follow Iax started racing back to the top of his stone column.

He burst free of the rock, finding Shozagetsu was standing before him. They locked eyes momentarily. Shozagetsu only looked bemused by the whole charade. His kriss was already slashing towards Iax's neck. _'Too slow'_ Iax formed the snake seal once again "Doton: Earth Wave Jutsu!" The surface of the lake shattered as tsunami like wave of dirt, mud and stone roared upwards behind Iax. It blotted out the afternoon sky before it started to topple towards the two combatants. Shozagetsu observed the giant wall of collapsing earth with a look of boyish wonderment, Iax seizing the opportunity redrew his sword and slashed rapidly at the Hozuki. The blade passed harmlessly through the captains head. _'Fuck that's an annoying technique'._ Iax thought about a follow up slash but seeing his jutsu was about to crush him thrust his sword into the ground and performed the hiding in the surface jutsu again. He slipped through the wall of dripping stone to emerge from the other side unharmed. He cast around for the Hozuki but was caught unawares when suddenly his knee was kicked out and before he could react a dripping kriss was placed on his neck.

"You… will do. Your movements are sloppy and predictable but your performance was satisfactory." Shozagetsu announced. Iax frowned, _'sloppy…'_ Shozagetsu noticed the facial tic.

"You disagree? Your kenjutsu is narrow-minded; there is no subtlety to it. Whilst you proved your earth style adaptable your jutsu collection is better suited to large scale battle not one on one. But, we're fighting an army so I guess you'll be a useful addition to my team, hell you might even learn something." Shozagetsu turned, strolling away from Iax leaving him to mull over his inadequacies on the remnants of his earth wave.

* * *

Shozagetsu sat on the window sill of his apartment, legs dangling out the window. He was inspecting the notched, jagged blades of his kriss.

" _One day those are gonna snap and you'll be dead"_

"Hmph, outlasted you prick." He muttered to himself and the memory of his former teammate.

"You know people will think you're even crazier if you start talking to yourself." He heard Yu's dulcet tones mutter from overhead. She was mimicking his sitting position but from the roof above his window. "What d'ya think of the wanderer?" She asked quickly before he could respond. Shozagetsu flipped the blade in his hand end over end before deftly catching it again.

"He's a scary kid. A lot of potential but very rough around the edges, fights like a twelve year old but has great instincts." His tone was frank.

"His sensei was killed by that guy he's hunting. Probably why his skill set is quite narrow." Yu suggested. Shozagetsu looked down the length of his right hand kriss, the one that had blocked one of Iax's strikes. There was a fresh notch near the hilt, _'the guy could be a monster'_

"He'll be a useful addition to the team." Shozagetsu announced. Yu's eyes widened; she had always been a part of Shozagetsu's team, the pair had grown up with each other. But Fumiaki's role had always been a spot of contention. There had been three other team members before the squat axe wielder had joined the Fiends, the previous members being judged too weak and executed by the captain. Fumiaki had been the first one the captain had been warm too, but that was only because of the ninja's skill. For Shozagetsu to have decided on a new team member so quickly was massively out of character.

"You alright Yu? Pretty quiet up there."

"What the fuck are you playing at Shoza!? That Wanderer? One of the Fiends? He's an amateur!" Yu's outburst was sudden but Shozagetsu continued calmly surveying his weapons. He'd moved on to checking his ninja tools now, each kunai's edge being tested against a thumb.

"That Wanderer may be an amateur, but he'll surpass Fumiaki. No doubt." The response was cool and collected.

"What?" Yu was caught unready by the statement but she quickly gathered herself again "So you're just raising another sacrificial lamb then! Were denied killing Fumiaki so you just picked the next one you saw?"

Shozagetsu turned, his eyes were angry now "I didn't want to kill Fumiaki for fun! I wanted to kill him because he was the only guy I've ever respected! It's pretty fucked up I know but don't ever make out that it was just some mindless bloodlust. And above all else I knew that short prick… the feeling was mutual" he finished with a faint smile. Yu's eyes watered a little.

"The Wanderer… Iax… He could become stronger than me. I can't walk away from a man like that, I will test his mettle with the army and if he rises to the occasion… He will take Fumiaki's place permanently!"


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So I re-uploaded this chapter, I was trying to right the next one and the next enemy I'd lined up for Iax was just too boring to write. This new guy is delightfully horrible.**

 **Just so you all now this fan fiction is going to be divided into three parts, books if you will. This is the first and it is drawing to a close. Essentially shit is going to go down at the Hozuki settlement. I'm thinking of including a time skip, so let me know what you think about that, I've got a poll set up on my page. (Let's try and get y'all invested in this story)**

 **I'd really appreciate some reviews guys; let me know what you think and how I can improve this. My ego is a delicate thing, TELL ME YOU LOVE ME!**

* * *

Chapter Nine: Mantled in mist, Remote from the happy.

Iax crept through the unnatural mist, which was suffocating the mangroves it was so thick. It was an unearthly fog that completely obscured movement and manged to dull sounds. He had exchanged his travel clothes for the stealth garb of the Hozuki clan; a stony grey long sleeved top and matching coloured trousers that were taped to his ankles. His face was covered with a traditional ninja balaclava, also a faded grey white; the colour scheme of the clothing was perfect for stealth in the thick fog. Iax was a wraith; invisible, silent, save for the whisper of his sword and the splatter of gore left behind.

He walked as vanguard to the Marsh Mist Fiends, Shozagetsu led the group and Yu was in the middle probing the mist with her sensory jutsu. The trio had left early in the morning, they had 1 whole day before the rest of the Hozuki forces would join them.

Iax could barely keep a bloodthirsty grin off his face, from the information the scouts had gathered it seemed there were to be at least three more regiments of similar size to the one the Fiends had taken down previously. Iax remembered the briefing…

 _7 days earlier_

 _The village elder had called them back into the small room they'd previously been planning in, before Iax's 'test'. The balding man was frequently wiping away the beads of nervous sweat that gathered on his brow, his eyes were locked onto the map of the area that was covered in shogi pieces representing various movements in the surrounding mangroves._

 _Shozagetsu was lounging in a chair, his legs hanging over the arms and his right hand resting lazily on the dusty floor. 'Old man, I wouldn't worry so much. We dealt with one of those regiments easily. What's three or four more?'_

 _The elder looked up with a look of complete disbelief. Shaking his head he looked down at the map again._

' _Think Shozagetsu! That is at least three thousand ninja' his voice was slow from lack of sleep 'furthermore you said that last regiment was nearly all high genin to low chuunin level, something that we can't guarantee this time. Also those three regiments were the ones our scouts could find, there could be more out there.' The predicament was almost comedic._

 _Shozagetsu huffed loudly. 'Shall I go deal with your problems for you sir... again?' Iax heard a soft chuckle from the window sill perch that Yu was sat on. He felt a smirk tug at his lips to._

 _He had been part of the Fiends for three days now, there was an intoxicating aura to the team. He felt indestructible, like an extension of justice or the wrath of a god. These odds would have had anyone else quivering like the elder, but the Fiends relished the chance to do battle. The more impossible it seemed only served to sharpen their bloodlust._

 _Shozagetsu stood in an effortless fluid motion and waved for the team to follow._

' _When are they going to reach the mangroves? 'His voice had a slight business like quality now._

' _We have a week to prepare' the reply relayed the elders fear; a week to mobilise an army was, well, unlikely._

' _HA' Shozagetsu crowed 'Don't worry so much we'll buy you some time' and with that he started walking to the door._

' _What are you going to do?' The elder questioned his tone devoid of hope._

' _Let lose the fog of war.' Shozagetsu whispered, before chuckling heartily, a wicked light glittered in his violet eyes._

Since that moment Iax had been subjected to what Shozagetsu called 'training' but in reality was just 6 days of vicious life or death sparring.

" _You see Iax, you have no guile in your sword play, you lack that slyness" Shozagetsu remarked casually as he bent backwards at the waist to dodge a horizontal chop. Iax sharply redirected his blade in a vicious backhand slice directly at his new captains head but the man had already disappeared._

" _Also, if anyone is remotely faster than you they'll be able to kill you in an instant. You leave too many openings." Iax managed to let out a heavy sigh before the voice from behind him kicked him in the kidney. He dropped to his knees, gasping for air._

" _Let me run over some quick tips for you. 1. Situational awareness, you should know every movement in a thirty foot area surrounding you. Trust your instincts entirely. You went with a follow up attack there but what was your gut instinct?"_

 _Iax pushed himself up to one knee "I suppose retreat, but I wanted to finish it."_

 _Shozagetsu stepped forward; he was silhouetted by the sun. "2. Never rush to engage, firstly why would you rush? Enjoy the moment stupid. Secondly a rushed blow tends to be aiming for the easy kill; an easy kill will undoubtedly be predicted and countered. Are we taking this in?"_

" _Yes. Arrrghhh!" Shozagetsu's sandaled foot ground onto his hand. He felt his bones crunch and his knuckles pop._

" _Then get up."_

 _Iax winced in pain, his sword hand looked mangled. He forcibly pushed chakra into it until he no longer noticed the pain and picked up his sword._

 _The next exchange was similarly brief. Iax swung for the captain's neck, missing by inches. Instead of following up he distanced himself and took careful stock of his surroundings. In a flicker of motion Shozagetsu leapt at him from above, Iax parried the heavy strike of the twin kriss but was caught by a brutal knee to the jaw._

" _Final lesson of the day" Shozagetsu said softly as Iax landed in a heap "dodging entirely is always better than parrying. It's beneficial to the counter; if the opponent is stronger than you, you will conserve stamina and most importantly it will affect the will of your opponent. Imagine how demoralising it is to fight something you can't hit."_

 _Iax shrugged "I can't hit you but I'm not going to stop trying." His statement was met with laughter._

" _You've improved Iax, but you'll never be able to hit me."_

" _We'll see."_

 _The two blurred into motion and continued their spar._

 _Flashback ends._

Iax shifted the sword resting on his shoulder, pushing his senses to the limit keeping track of all the minute sounds in the fog. The Fiend objective was to slow the main enemy force, the villages needed one more day to fully mobilise jounin and chuunin forces. It was going to be classic guerrilla warfare; relying heavily on the fog, a creation of a clan wide hidden mist jutsu.

That had certainly been a site, watching every active ninja of the Hozuki clan standing in the mangroves, exhaling pearly white mist that combined with the moisture of the marshy area creating a dense smoke like fog.

There was a low whistle from ahead, to anyone unaware it would have sounded like one of the mangroves native birds but at the end there was a slight inflection. Iax stealthily crept up to the other two fiends. They were in hunkered down at the foot of a gnarled tree, talking in hushed whispers.

"What's up?"

"This is the final paper bomb point; all the trip wires are set. It's now just a waiting game" Yu muttered. The three ninja had set up a complex web of trip wire which would not only thin out the numbers of the enemy but serve as a warning system.

"So it's the waiting game now." Iax grumbled, he felt the flutter of butterflies in his stomach as a fidgety surge of adrenalin coursed through his veins. Having abandoned his scabbard at the Hozuki settlement so it wouldn't hinder his mobility, he started spinning his sword in slow circles by his side. It made a soft thrumming as it cut through the moisture laden air; his mind wandered through his kata's and justsu seals, making sure everything was fresh in his mind. The trio waited

* * *

The Bandaged Man was lying face down on the grit of the salt plains; the winds that whipped across the barren flats pulled and teased his parka. He was deathly still.

" _Why?"_

Heavy, black clouds forged across the otherwise grey sky, the tell-tale haze of rain hung below them. The Bandaged man had been laying in the same spot for days now, he hadn't kept track. The elements had thrown everything at him in this period of time but still his body clung to life with a fierce tenacity part of his mind resented.

" _Just die, you monster, die"_ A vivid flash of a young girls face raced through his mind, it was only momentary as he fought to the repress the memory but he saw it all anyway. The look of trust, followed by shocked before fear filled her big bright eyes. The man shuddered as he remembered the echoes of her screams and the wailing of the infant.

Before he'd found this spot he had tried to destroy himself, twice.

The other half of him, the monster within, had not allowed it. _**"You coward. You snivelling, pathetic excuse for an existence. Do not forget what you are, you are nothing but a tool. An extension of my will."**_

Unable to escape the guilt with direct action, the man had decided upon the course of no action. A war of attrition against his on body, but the life of a wanderer had made him hardy, he'd been without water and food for days now but he still felt strong. More unnerving still, he felt the familiar black urges growing stronger. It was a lust for blood and death that was always a part of him.

" _Why am I like this?"_ Suddenlya strange wave of realisation washed over him andfor the first time he considered his past, no memories greeted him. Instead just an eerie blankness that suddenly appeared at the end of conscious memory that made his head spin nauseatingly. He pushed a mental probe at it but there was…

"Nothing?" He whispered aloud.

" _ **There is nothing, nothing but me. You are alone. Remote from the happy"**_

The Bandaged Man shivered in wind as rain started to fall around him.

He slowly pushed himself to his feet.

* * *

The trio in the mist had separated, slipping off into the mangroves towards the outer perimeters of their defences. None of the trip wires had been activated yet but the teams plan had been specific. Iax had taken the left and Yu the right, the plan was to harry the enemy's flanks and funnel them into the majority of the traps. Shozagetsu would be waiting amongst the paper bombs and pit falls, it would be a killing field.

Iax reached his position; it was a grey rock, slimy from the mist and mould, which surged up over the stunted trees. The viewpoint didn't grant much advantage due to the opaque fog, which was so thick now it offered a faint resistance as one moved through it. Iax slipped into a cross legged meditating stance and laid his sword across his lap. Closing his eyes to the world around him, he slipped into a blank but relaxing state of mind. He listened to what his body was telling him, a nagging ache in the bones of his right wrist picked up from sparring with the captain, also there was a knot of tension in between his shoulder blades. Whilst minor, these twinges could cause him to be a fraction off, they could be the difference between life and death.

He gently nudged his chakra system to life; he felt the vast energy swirl to life in his stomach first, before it gently flowed through each of his tenketsu leaving his body feeling warm. He guided the energy to each of the pains, letting the warmth relieve the tension in his back first before pushing it to his wrist. He was surprised to hear it give a quick popping noise. His eyes opened.

" _That's never happened before…"_ He'd done this countless times when he'd anticipated fights or when he had brief moment in battle, the process was never intend to heal but bolster his weaknesses with chakra. He was just reinforcing them until he could actually receive medical attention. But this time… Iax rolled his wrist experimentally _"Amazing_!"

He wrapped his left hand around the hilt of his sword, placed the palm of his right hand on the edge of his blade and slashed it deeply. A little hiss escaped from his clenched teeth but the stinging pain passed momentarily. Fat drops of crimson blood stained his pale clothes. Iax pushed chakra through his arm; letting the comforting heat pool in the palm of his hand, he turned it over slowly, eyes widening in amazement as he watched his skin knit together in seconds. The gash became an ugly red scar, then a silvery faded line that blended in with the countless others. Lifting the huge sword he watched the blood trickle slowly down the edge, a small smirk started to play across his lips before turning into a wide toothy grin. _"What's the limit to this ability? The cost?"_ Iax checked his chakra reserves but they felt almost unused. _"Incredible"_

What had he done differently this time? How had he unlocked this technique? The only explanation that came to mind was the brutal training he'd been through with Shozagetsu. The two had only trained in kenjutsu though…" _The fights were intense, whilst I didn't use ninjutsu we were both using chakra to enhance our physical abilities…"_ Iax pondered the thought, his chakra control must have improved to the point he could self-heal.

Uncrossing his legs and slowly climbing to his feet, he breathed in the moisture laden air deeply. Resisting the urge to keep testing his new ability he turned his senses to the forest. Logically the first trap to be set off was about two miles ahead on his right hand side.

Iax started spinning his sword lazily by his side. He felt bloodlust build within him, a brief memory flashed through his mind of the men he'd buried in that muddy field, the clean cut shin bone… He felt his face contort in revulsion at his savage desire to kill, but the feeling was swept aside with one though _"Shinji"_

Two miles ahead on his right hand side there was a soft boom and a pillar of smoke blossomed out of the fog. The sword stopped spinning and Iax leapt from his perch. His heartbeat was racing and behind his balaclava a wicked grin was forming.

* * *

Yu was the first of the trio to find the enemy, her sensory jutsu guiding her towards a team of four ninja. Just from their stances Yu could tell the men were far more experienced than the soldiers she had previously fought, it was in their stance. The team obviously had some experience working with each other as they had immediately started covering each other's blind spots without saying a word.

" _They must have a sensory type ninja. He will be my first priority, otherwise the mist will pointless."_ She withdrew; performing the water clone jutsu, an identical copy of her circled the team so both versions of Yu were watching the enemy from both flanks. _"Now if I launch an attack the first to react will surely be the sensory type_. _"_

Her clone launched a volley of chakra infused shuriken, Yu watched the team closely, the one closest to her suddenly spun to face the rest of his team. "Projectiles!" his team turned to deal with the threat, none of the noticing Yu. With her chakra supressed she crept straight up to the sensor and silently eased a kunai into his jugular. Before the enemy ninja could realise what happened, the sensor had been dragged back into the mist.

" _Textbook"_ Without a sensor the enemy team had no defence. They were already dead.

* * *

The ambush was in full swing now, countless paper bombs had exploded, their smoke mixing with the ever present fog. Iax stepped carefully over a body that lay face down in the waterlogged soil of the mangroves. His stealth clothes were sullied with crimson stains and a steady stream of gore dripped from his great sword.

Everything was going to plan, the pincer motion that the fiends had set up seemed to be working. The trio had anticipated that once the enemy realised they were being picked off from the flanks they would start to bunch together, safety in numbers, but this would mean the majority would be walking into the bulk of the traps. It was a simple but effective plan. The only problem was that due to the mist, the fiends had no idea if they were actually making a dent in the enemy's numbers.

Iax smirked at the thought, the fiends didn't really care that much though. They would kill until they were dead or they ran out of enemies. There was no need for prisoners.

His finely tuned senses caught a scent through the fog; the sharp, sickly sweet scent of sweat. It smelt like fear, like a target. He shouldered his sword, sinking into a low crouch he dashed silent forward, ducking behind a withered tree the loomed out of the haze he sniffed again.

" _Hmmm, they're three to four metres away. It's another team of four. They're nervous."_ The final analysis made him smirk, he could almost hear their frantic heartbeats. _"Poor things"_

He span out from cover, still in the low crouch, speeding forward towards his targets. Four silhouettes became clear in the mist, the great sword slashed violently through the greyness. The vapour in the air swirled wildly in the wake of the steel. The was a series of soft thumps as bodies fell, followed by a brief shower of cherry red blood that broke the monochrome of the murky mangroves. Iax never broke stride, he leapt over the remains and carried on in his remorseless search for more ninja. For a real fight.

Though it was clear these soldiers were more experienced than the previous ones the fiends had fought, there had been no resistance. Iax had cut deeply into the flank of the army and many times had to warn himself that he was advancing too far. The plan was to always guard the flanks, try to make sure that all advancing combatants were funneled into the traps and Shozagetsu's waiting arms.

Iax leapt onto a collapsed rotting tree, long dead from the effects of the salt water that permeated the ground. Dashing along the dark, sodden wood he considered using his rudimentary sensory jutsu but decided against it. Due to its short range it would next to useless in the endless swamps of the Mangroves, in fact it might alert enemy sensors to his presence. Iax leapt from the end of the log, landing lightly on the marshy soil and continued his silent scout.

It seemed that the enemy had abandoned this flank now, instead choosing to push down the centre of the mangroves. Iax sighed, if that was the case he would simply be playing lookout until the main Hozuki force arrived. Iax circled around, making his way instinctually back to his original position. _"it shouldn't be that long of wait…"_ His train of though was suddenly broke as a faint but unnatural creaking noise to his right triggered his reflexes.

Ducking, Iax rolled forward quickly. There was a vicious hissing noise as three projectiles whipped past his head. _"They got the drop on me."_ Iax remained in a hunkered down, striving to find his opponent in the mist. _"I'm fed up of fighting like this!"_ He formed three quick seals, he'd come up with a few creative way to improve visibility in mist since fighting Kushimaru but he stuck to a simple one here.

" _Earth Pillar jutsu"_ A circular pillar 25 metres in diameter pushed straight out the ground, ascending through the mist until it broke out into the grey autumn light. The view was otherworldly; the eldritch, skeletal branches of the mangrove trees just broke through the cloud like fog. They seemed like the broken timbers of sunken ships or hands desperately clawing to be free of the thick smog. Iax could see faint flashes in the mist where the main enemy force must still be moving through the paper bomb traps.

Iax turned his attention back to the arena he'd just formed; his chakra had dried out the sodden earth which was now more dusty and crumbly. Several off the stunted trees had been carried up by the jutsu as well, providing sparse cover on the top of the claustrophobic platform. Iax smiled.

"I know you're there."

A tall, sinewy man crawled out of the dirt. His hair was a shaggy black mess that perched on top of his gaunt face. He looked hungry, his cheekbones were about to sheer through his skin and his dark eyes were sunken in his skull; there were two fading clan tattoos beneath his eyes shaped like fangs. A wide grin covered the lower have of his face, his teeth were sickening motions were fluid as he prowled forward; his long stride and the roll of his thin shoulders were reminiscent of a predator. A wild dog.

He sunk down onto all fours; Iax raised his sword defensively in response, watching the ninja down the length of the great sword. There was a kick up of dust as they both shunshinned, the both appeared again. Iax's sword was clenched firmly between the man's teeth. Iax raised an eyebrow slowly.

"What are you doing?"

"mmmff npph mmm" The muffled response answered no questions. Iax solved that by ripping his sword free in a slashing motion. The toothy man was unaffected and stood grinning at the young swordsman.

"I said it's _**How**_ I fight" his voice was erratic, he seemingly emphasized certain words at random and his tone was close to hysterical. Iax nearly rolled his eyes in frustration, seemed sanity was a regressive gene these days. The man was wearing the all black uniform of the ninja army but Iax noted three red bars on the right shoulder, some denotation of leadership.

Iax raised his sword again, he slashed suddenly without warning. The freak rolled clear of the blow, which shattered the ground before leaping at Iax mouth wide. Iax leaned neatly out the way but the man's claw like nails sheared through the cloth on his chest, leaving three angry red gashes.

Iax twisted, using the momentum to power a destructive backhand blow which clipped a few hairs off his enemy's head as the man ducked just in time. _"His agility is impressive"_ The man flipped neatly away, launching a series of kunai. Iax charged after him, swiping the projectiles aside with ease, closing the space between them Iax used the superior reach of his sword to harry the enemy.

Whilst Iax had the offensive initiative, the freak in front of him was far more nimble. He was able to twist and turn out of the way of each attack with ease and his counters whilst not life threatening were instantaneous. Soon Iax was covered in lacerations from the man's steely nails. Iax weaved a complex web of steel around the man, but he danced clear of each blow, rewarding each of Iax's attacks with a new slash. Iax's fingers started to feel a little numb from blood loss.

Iax leapt back to create space, he would have to abandon kenjutsu… His sword was too unwieldy to strike the man. The thought caused Iax no happiness but it would be necessary. As the opponent chased, Iax feinted to his feet, the man leapt high in the air. Iax smirked.

He hurled the gigantic sword with startling accuracy. Iax savoured the look of surprise on the man's face as the sword sheered through his flank just below the ribs. Blood blossomed out of his side in a crimson arc before splattering down loudly. The blade clattered down afterwards making the air ring.

The toothy assailant landed on all fours next to his blood and the sword, his left arm gave out under the sudden shock. Iax took a single careful step, raising his arms into a classic boxing stance.

"owowowowowowoowww!" The shaggy haired man pushed himself slowly to his feet. "You SON of a bitch!" He raised a hand to his bloody side. It was more of a flesh wound than anything, but it would hinder movement. "I'm _**gonna**_ hand it to you big man, you're a tough cookie" the strange inflection was back again. "I mean, most guys would have gone _**down**_ by now"

Iax took a quick appraisal of his situation, his stealth garb was shredded and blood was trickling from countless gashes.

"This?" Iax sneered "this is nothing." Iax spread his arms wide and chuckled deeply. His body started to steam as the countless rips and tears in his flesh slowly started to close, the muscle fibres knitting together and skin melding into fresh scars. He flexed his arm experimentally, before rolling his shoulders. Iax raised his fists again.

"You're going to have to do better."

* * *

Shozagetsu moved like a dancer through the mist, his twin kriss like extensions of his arms as he twirled through the air cutting down two men, before he slid gracefully under a tripwire that his pursuers did not see in time. The result explosion blew chunks of sodden earth and limbs in every direction. Shozagetsu giggled sadistically, from the bushes he'd been blasted into, before kicking himself back onto his feet.

"SOOO much fun! The others must be so jealous" He sprinted off towards the frontline again, ducking into the leafy cover of some rhododendrons; he eyed up his next quarry. His stealth gear was entirely drenched in blood, it was useless anyway as the near constant explosions from the paper bombs was dispersing the fog.

Two ninja had just managed to get through an incredibly treacherous run of tripwires; they'd watched a lot of comrades meet messy endings. Pausing briefly in an opening as they caught their breath, the two shared a glance.

"Fucking swamp is gonna be the…."

Maroon flash darted between the two of them, the first ninja never finished the sentence and his teammate stared on in horror as his headless body collapsed. The ninja turned to escape but gasped sharply as a cruel looking, wavy blade punched through his gut.

Shozagetsu let the body slump to the floor. Surveying the wide spread destruction he let out a satisfied sigh. He sauntered towards the last explosion he'd heard, soon the traps would thin and the real fight would start. Shozagetsu could tell that the small fries were being used to probe their defences, soon enough the real threats would start appearing.

"Hahahahahaaaa can't wait!"


End file.
